Love is Ouch
by pinkpocket23
Summary: Definition Jealousy: Having a sexy rock star for a boyfriend, fan-girls at every corner, and a fake smile with a knife stuck in your back. But I was always bad at losing. "Just give it up. In the end, you can't resist me." #4
1. Glittering Eyes

**Disclaimer: **All rights belong to the respected author, Higuchi Tachibana.

A/N: This piece follows after my third story, **His Moves like Jagger.** Just to avoid confusion, I'd advise those who haven't read it yet to check out that story first before starting this one. Although if you choose not to do so, you should be able to follow this story-line pretty well. Either way, I'm honored to have you here. :)

* * *

**Love is Ouch**

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******SNSD- **Gee

**Chapter 1: Glittering Eyes**

**.**

"Natsume! Natsume, please come out!"

"Natsume, I love you!"

The many squeals coming from the rabid fan-girls continued to chime like bells where I could practically feel my ears bleeding. All of them stood crowded together like a flock of sheep in front of a dressing room, eagerly awaiting a certain celebrity rock star.

"Natsume, please marry me!"

It was… sickening.

Although, I would be lying if I said that I wasn't getting excited myself. After all, the man of the hour (not to mention the sexiest man alive), happened to be my very own boyfriend.

Honestly, it was taking just about every ounce of willpower that I had not to give a good punch to the nose to some of the surrounding fans. Unfortunately, for me, I was secluded in the far back of the crowd.

Hoping to get a good view, I stood on the tips of my toes as I tried to tower over the heads of the screaming fans. It wasn't doing me much good though. My sad excuse for being 5'3inches in height made it rather difficult for me to see anything.

"Come on, come on," I grunted while nudging some of the girls in the arm. "Let me see!"

"Oh!" One of the girls beside me suddenly busted out screaming like she was in a horror film. "There he is ─ he's coming out! It's Natsume Hyuuga!"

As if on cue, the whole crowd erupted into squeals and ran amuck like a herd of bull. They shrieked at the top of their lungs, each one desperate to catch the eye of the sexy rocker.

"What?" I gasped, ready to jet like the wind through the crowd. "Let me see. I can't see!"

I did my best to push my way to the front, demanding the crowd to make way. Hell, I was the one to be of importance here. I'm the celebrity's girlfriend; I should be the one with a front row ticket for crying out loud.

"Let me through!" I screamed, bombarding my way right to the very front of the crowd.

Suddenly, I lost my footing and tripped face forward to the floor. I felt myself land with a hard given thud with the ground shaking as I moaned a little in pain.

"You're in my way…"

My ears nearly perked up at that one familiarly rugged voice.

Doing my best to stifle back a gasping shriek, my eyes traced up from long constructed legs, to a chiseled chest seen clearly visible through a muscle-tee, and a pair of seductive, ruby red orbs. I slowly arose from the floor with my eyes sparkling in a daze.

"Ah! Natsume…" He was just as hot up close as he was from afar. My dropped jaw closed as my lips thinned into a beaming smile. "Natsume, I'm so happy to see you!"

He responded with an arched brow. "Do I know you?"

"Wha-? N-Natsume?" I blinked back twice and pretended to laugh off the stupid act. "Come on, stop playing around. It's me, remember?"

His brows furrowed together as he ruffled at his raven tresses. After what seemed like five seconds he smirked as if recalling a sudden memory. "Oh, yeah," he muttered blandly, "it's Karin right?" He brushed a few bangs away from my face. "You're her, right? The girl that I went out with last Saturday?"

My smile fell instantly. "…What?"

"Sorry. I didn't recognize you. Alright then," he said, airing me a small wave goodbye, "you're free to go."

"Natsume, wait!"

I called his name out in desperation as he stopped short and turned to look at me. He seemed somewhat annoyed, his patience fleeting fast as he stood with his brows creased into a frown.

My own boyfriend didn't know who I was?

I pointed to myself, eyes pleading for him to remember my name. "You don't remember? Don't you remember my face at all?" This just had to be a joke. "It's me! Mikan! Your girlfriend?"

He practically sneered at my last sentence as he scoffed, "What are you talking about? I don't have a girlfriend. I'm single, idiot."

I slowly shook my head in disbelief, struggling to get my words out through a dried throat. "What? N-Natsume?" This couldn't be happening right now. "W-what… How c-could you not remember?"

Natsume wrinkled his nose in disgust. "You're delusional," he sneered in a high and mighty tone. He turned his back to me and took his leave. "As if I'd ever have a girlfriend that looked as ordinary as you. Get lost."

His words didn't reach me. More than anything, they just didn't make sense. What was with this guy?

I felt my heart sink and my chest become heavy. Refusing to believe what was happening, I took off after him with my hand reaching out for his retreating figure as if to beckon him back to me. It was as if I was running in slow motion as my lethargic pace was keeping me further away from my target.

"Natsume, wait!" I couldn't hear my voice… My voice wasn't reaching him...! "Natsume, come back!"

"_Mikan…"_

"Natsume!"

"_Mikan Sakura!"_

"Come back!"

"_Mikan!"_

"Natsu─"

_**Whap!**_

"Ouch!"

My eyes immediately flew open after the hard impacting pound to my head. Wondering what the hell had just happened; I shot up and looked around in panic.

"W-what happened? What is it?"

A faint snort came about as my eyes settled on the sight of a girl with curly green hair. Her green eyes flickered with annoyance as she huffed out a sigh and tapped her foot at the floor.

"You were mumbling in your sleep. Hello?" She snapped her fingers and said, "Earth to Mikan? I hope that you're awake now."

I rubbed my eyes with a yawn and wrinkled my nose at her outfit which looked like that of a French maid. "Sumire, why are you wearing a maid uniform?"

Sumire gave a click of her tongue and snorted, "Are you on medication? We're at work…duh?"

My eyes blinked twice, trying to decipher those words. I inhaled the familiar scent of coffee and doughnuts and tiredly sighed after coming back to realization.

Oh, yeah…that's right.

On this boring Friday afternoon, I was currently working as an employed maid in Central Café. Oh, the "joys" of wasting away the freshness of my youth.

Being a college student in this day and time called for extra hours for a job, extra schoolwork, and a never-ending extra amount of losing sleep. I must have dozed off on the counter earlier…

"I didn't get much sleep last night," was my only excuse as I yawned again. "Anyway, what is it, Sumire?"

Instantly remembering her big news, Sumire's green eyes widened like saucers as she squealed, "You won't believe this! I was busy serving coffee to a customer and then spared a quick glance to the TV while talking, and guess who I saw?" She rolled her eyes at my blank expression. "It's Natsume Hyuuga, silly! You know ─ my super-hot idol and future husband? He's doing an interview right now!"

I gasped, hearing the sudden name of my boyfriend. "N-Natsume Hyuuga?"

My thoughts immediately traced back to the stirring nightmare that I had just earlier. I gulped a little, feeling the hair of my arms stand on edge just by remembering the cold glare that Natsume had given me.

"That's what I just said, stupid. Come on," Sumire grunted while taking a hold of my wrist. "Let's go watch!"

She pulled at my arm with force, dragging me along behind her. A lot of our fellow maids were already crowding around the TV as they started grouping together. Squeals started to engulf the café as if the whole female population had decided to gather for a rally or something.

Refusing to take a spot in the back, Sumire forced her way through the crowd, still pulling me along as we made our way to the front. "Make way, groupies! Real fans coming through. Move!"

I looked up at the TV and could feel my heart thumping with anticipation. Natsume was having a live broadcasted interview... My own boyfriend was actually going to be on TV ─this was amazing!

A brunette with pink highlights suddenly appeared on the screen.

She held a microphone in one hand and gave a playful wink. "Welcome back, folks! It's your girl, Sophea. We're here live on _Pops of Japan,_ and today we have two very special guests with us this afternoon. Let's get a good look at our hot celebrity guests, shall we?"

I felt my eyes widen in shock after spotting a familiarly handsome face. "Natsume!"

It felt so unreal, watching the man that I loved form the TV screen.

He sat lax, both legs slightly spread apart with one elbow propped upon the arm of his chair. As always, he was one to be of fashionable taste, wearing a black leather jacket and a pair of dark jeans. I nearly melted at the sight.

Sophea gestured a hand towards her special guests, "Welcome the sexiest rock star of the century, and leader of the band, Jet R3D. Natsume Hyuuga!" Loud shrieks and squeals erupted all around me at the name. "And let's not forget former member of the band, and the hottest celebrity chef alive. Ruka Nogi!"

"Look, look!" Sumire squeezed my arm while pointing at the screen. "It's Ruka Nogi, Hotaru's chef boyfriend! And look, it's Natsume Hyuuga! Do you see how hot he is ─ Look, Mikan!"

Wincing in pain from her hard squeeze, I smiled weakly and muttered, "I can see that..."

"It's great to have you with us, Natsume and Ruka," Sophea continued, crossing one leg over the other as she took a seat in her chair. "I'm so glad that you guys found time away from your busy schedule."

I took notice of the handsome blonde to Natsume's left as he kept a charming smile to his face. Boy did Hotaru have good taste in men…

Ruka seemed quite calm as he spoke casually. "It's an honor to be here, Sophea. Natsume and I were really looking forward to this." He turned to give a smile to the raven haired idol beside him. "Weren't we, Natsume?"

The hot rock star gave a small shrug of his shoulders. "…More or less."

Sophea gasped and said, "Oh! It's that bad boy attitude that I (I-I mean), that _girls_ just can't get enough of!" She gave a good flip to her hair. "Natsume Hyuuga, I have to ask. How does it feel to be in the top among the many rock bands this year? You're known to be the most talented, (and not to mention sexiest) man of your time."

I could feel a low growl building from my diaphragm as I watched the cute interviewer batting her flirtatious lashes at my boyfriend. What a suck-up…

Natsume paused for a brief moment before speaking. "Well, Sophea, it's been a long journey for me and my band members. I'm just glad that we get to perform and tour together." He shrugged again and said, "It's… been our dream."

"That's amazing," Sophea gushed out. "Now, I was just curious. I heard through the grapevine that Jet R3D is supposed to be hosting a special summer event at a luxurious suite resort. I hear that it's really popular for a lot of A-list celebs as well! And supposedly, any fan with a special ticket can get in. By the way…" She fixated her attention to the celebrity chef, "Do you plan on going too, Ruka?"

Ruka situated a leg over his thigh and nodded. "Well, yeah, it sounds pretty cool. It gives a lot of my fans and Natsume's fans an opportunity to come out and support us as well. All the celebrities are really looking forward to it."

"Awesome! Oh, and will Jet R3D be playing anything special, Natsume?"

I paid especially close to my rock star boyfriend who was looking just as bored as ever. "The band and I are working on songs for our new album," Natsume casually replied, earning side squeals from the audience around me. "We'll be playing some of them at the event."

Sophea patted Natsume's shoulder, giving it a hard squeeze. It was so obvious that she was trying to feel out his muscles. "How cool is that! I just adore all of Jet R3D's songs." Honestly, I was getting pretty damn tired of the extra flirtation within her voice. "Ruka, you were once a member of Jet R3D. Do you miss being in the spotlight with the many craving fan-girls screaming your name?"

With his voice calm and cool, Ruka gave a handsome grin like that of a movie star. "It's not so bad. I'm always creating new meals on cooking channels these days so… There are always girls surrounding the TV station just to watch me cook. I get a good kick out of that." He rubbed the back of his head nervously. "But it's not like I'm single anymore anyway."

"Well, that's to be expected. You're a hot chef. Hot in the kitchen and hot on television." Sophea smiled back at the camera and winked, "Am I right?"

Sumire scoffed under her breath, giving me a nudge to the arm. "She is_ so_ tacky."

"Speaking of being single," Sophea started, redirecting her attention towards the rock star, "Natsume, I hear that you've been going steady with someone who's become labeled as your new "mystery woman" these days. What's your take on this?" I felt my stance go rigid at the sudden question. "Do you plan on keeping your role as a man that gets any woman he wants? Or do you plan on discarding your singles card for good?"

Natsume situated himself upright in his seat. "I'll tell you this now, Sophea," he replied blandly, cupping the side of his face within his hand, "I don't plan on having any sort of relationship at the moment. Being single, it's… It's easier this way."

Sophea arched a questioning brow at Natsume's answer. "Easier? Or just a lot more fun?"

Natsume quirked a brow of his own and smirked. "What do you think?"

"Oh!" Sumire squealed, snaking a hand around my arm, "I would be _so_ happy to be his ideal woman."

"R-right?" I smiled back weakly, trying to hide the hurt within my voice.

Seriously, I deserved an Academy Award for putting up such a fake front right now. Sumire just didn't have any idea of how much pain was building inside of my chest.

"You're definitely a man full of secrets," Sophea said admirably. "But I can understand where you're coming from. After all, who could ever forget your old relationship with your old _flame_ from the past? By the way, Natsume, how is─"

"She's not important," Natsume interjected quickly, irritation evident within his voice. I could've sworn that a hint of anger flickered in his eyes. "I'm only interested in my career right now. That's it."

Sophea flinched back as if catching onto a bad aura. "T-there you have it, ladies!" she stuttered out, quickly getting on with her point of subject. "You heard it for yourselves. Natsume Hyuuga has claimed his single status. Now, it's time to bring out the remaining three members of the band, Jet R3D! Ladies and gentleman put your hands together for Tsubasa Andou, Youichi Hijiri and Kokoro─"

_**Click!**_

"Hey!" Sumire shouted, scowling back at a sudden black screen on the TV.

All heads turned in the direction of a young woman with coal-black hair. Her purple pupils were somewhat stoic and annoyed all in one as she held up a remote, guilty as charge.

Sumire's eyes narrowed at the culprit who had dared to interrupt her bit of fun. "What the hell, Imai? I was watching that!"

Hotaru kept a disenchanted expression, clearly unfazed. "Time is money girls," her monotone voice called to all of the employees. "Enough with the TV. Let's get back to work."

I stared back at my best friend in horror and tried to pry the remote away from her hands. "H-Hotaru! I was watching my boy…. Ah, I-I mean…" I bit back my tongue, careful for my choice of words. "I was watching Natsume _Hyuuga _on TV! Why did you─?"

"In case you've all forgotten," came her dry tone of indifference, refusing to let me finish, "we've got shifts to take and money to make." She clapped her hands and said, "Back to work ladies."

"Oh, you're no fun, Imai," Sumire growled out, placing a hand on either side of her hips. "Pops of Japan was hosting a good show today. Ruka was on there too, you know." She gave a devious grin. "Didn't you want to see your boyfriend on TV?"

"I can call him," Hotaru retorted blandly with a small shrug.

Sumire challenged those words with a quirking brow. "What if you can't call him?"

"I can text him."

"…What if you can't text him?"

"I'll just e-mail him."

"…What if you can't─"

"Do you want to get fired?" Sumire's gaping expression was all that it took to earn a triumphant grin from Hotaru. "I thought so. Now, get back to work."

A lot of pouts and dejected sighs came from the girls around us as they gradually started to disperse. Sumire muttered something subtle like "Cold bossy witch," under her breath and huffed off. But as for me…I just couldn't shake off the feeling of rejection after watching the special broadcasted interview.

I fiddled with one of my pigtails, biting my lip as I recalled the words Natsume had spoken. My eyes suddenly became infatuated with the floor as I dazed off.

_Why do I feel so bothered by what he said…?_

"Hey…"

I snapped my head back up to find my best friend staring at me.

Hotaru's eyes studied me closely as she gave a light flick to my forehead. "From the looks of things… you don't look so good. Something happen?"

I paused for a brief moment and hesitantly asked, "Did you hear what Natsume said?"

"About him being single?" Hotaru asked like the answer was obvious, and quickly added with a snort, "Yeah, I heard it. Is that what's bothering you right now?"

Hoping to hide the obvious hint of worry, I shrugged and said, "Well, I dunno. I mean… I know that we agreed to keep our relationship a secret and all…" I tried to gather my words together, not really wanting to admit the truth. "But I just don't like the idea of having to hide my face from the world as his girlfriend. I mean... doesn't Natsume love me?"

"You're asking the obvious," Hotaru answered with a sigh like she was sick of pampering me up with words. "After all, it's something that you two agreed on. At least until his career is ready to add you into the spotlight."

Well, when she put it like that… I guess it did make sense.

"Well," I mumbled, rubbing the back of my head, "we are supposed to be going on a date later on today... Maybe I can ask him about it?"

Hotaru shrugged her shoulders. "You could try that."

I rolled my eyes at my so called, "best friend" who should be trying to comfort my aching heart right now instead of trying to end the conversation. This was nothing new…

"More importantly," Hotaru said, finger pointing with a wrinkled nose, "When are you going to tell that _**thing**_ over there about your new boyfriend?"

My eyes followed her finger in said direction where a girl with green hair was busy talking it up with two cute guys at a table. She giggled playfully as she pretended to take down orders for her "guests," who were eyeing her from top to bottom.

If there was anyone who was good at swooning men, then Sumire Shouda definitely ranked number one. The category of men was her specialty.

I cringed at the thought of telling Sumire that I was actually dating the rock star sensation and her "future husband," Natsume Hyuuga.

Feeling a little tense, I rubbed the back of my head and shrugged. "Ah… I'm working on it."

Hotaru responded with a roll of her eyes and handed me a checkbook and pen. "Why don't you work off some stress? You could use a good distraction."

I nodded, deciding that maybe taking some orders might do me some good.

Hoping to build my self-confidence back up, I breathed in a good fresh of air and formed the brightest smile that Mikan Sakura was known for.

The smell of caffeine and the aroma of freshly baked doughnuts engulfed my nostrils as I walked about the café. My eyes settled upon a middle-aged man secluded to a table and I practically galloped my way over to him.

"Welcome to Central Café!" I chirped in a bubbly tone, adding a cute smile as I twirled a finger around my auburn strands. "Anything I can get for you, sir?"

He seemed shocked by my sudden presence, but after taking a small glimpse of my legs, his lips formed into a perverted smile. "No, I'm fine sweetheart," he said, adding a small wink that almost made me gag. "But thanks for the offer."

Well, at least now I knew where all the lecherous old men liked to gather on Fridays…

Hiding my disgusted look behind a sweet smile, I nodded and bid the old creep goodbye as I took my leave.

My eyes traced over the few remaining tables, hoping to find at least one customer ready to order. I tapped my pen against my checkbook and sighed.

Seeing that there was nothing better to do, I decided to make myself useful and picked up a tray of desserts from off the kitchen counter. Sumire gave a nod in my direction, gesturing her head towards the appointed table for the delivered order.

I balanced the tray on my hand, thoughts fleeting me as I pondered over the upcoming date that I had with Natsume, and so badly wished that I could take off early.

Work was so damn hard to get by with the remaining hours when you knew that you had a boyfriend waiting for you to get off. I couldn't wait to see Natsume.

A smile thinned at my lips as I thought about him sitting secluded to a table in the restaurant, one elbow propped upon the table, with his cheek cupped in his hand and a sour frown etched on his face. I thought about my bliss for having my very first boyfriend.

We had been going out as an official couple for about three weeks now. Although I was excited about having my very first relationship, things were a little weird for the two of us.

So far, we had been keeping our relationship a secret from the public eye. And acting like the happy-go-lucky girlfriend that I was, I agreed to it, jumping on the bandwagon as "mystery girl," wanting to have an understanding heart and thinking that Natsume's career was of more importance anyway.

Despite the need to keep our relationship hushed on the sides, I didn't feel too bothered by it. But of course, I found it hard to meet up with Natsume whenever I could.

I sighed again, chewing on my tongue.

There was no doubt that he was consistently bombarded with non-stop interviews, and probably a massive crowd of endearing fan-girls. That TV interview that he was on just a while ago proves my point for his hectic scheduling.

He was always… busy, doing his best to make time for us to be together. I laughed a little to myself, recalling the time that he actually cursed out his manager on the phone for popping up an unexpected interview on our last date.

"I wonder what he's doing now…"

"H-hey! Watch out for─"

_**Clash!**_

"Ah!"

A sudden crash snapped me out of my thoughts as I found my tray of desserts falling to the floor.

The porcelain glass plates were broken into shattered pieces, and just before I could trip on top of the aftermath, I felt a hard grip pull at my wrist.

I gasped at the sudden contact of a hard chest being pressed against me. My eyes closed, expecting the worse to come.

"…Whew, that was a close one, huh?"

What…? It was a male's voice, soft and calming.

The sudden smell of peppermint and cinnamon engulfed my nostrils as I slowly opened my eyes, travelling up from a navy-blue leather jacket to a pair of black tinted shades.

Natsume was the first name that crossed my mind, but then I took notice of the snow-white hair and blinked back in awe. "E-eh? Who are…?"

He gave a sigh of relief and said, "You're lucky that I caught you, little lady."

I felt my cheeks go hot, noticing how close our bodies were touching as he held me bridal style, nearly cradling me inside of his arms.

"I-I'm very sorry," I apologized, pushing myself away as I bowed my head.

He shrugged like it wasn't such a big deal and gently helped me down. "Don't mind it. I'm just glad that you're alright."

Right when I was about to thank him, I felt something crack under my foot and looked down in horror.

Oh, no! The tray of plates that I had been carrying were all broken, completely shattered into fragments. I groaned aloud, knowing full well that Hotaru wouldn't let this one slide from out of my paycheck.

"Oh, no… This is just great. Oh!" I looked back at the young man in worry. "Are you alright, sir? You could've been hurt, I'm so sorry."

He brushed off a few pieces of glass from his jeans and shrugged. "Like I said, don't mind it. Besides," he sighed and removed his shades, "I got the chance to see a pretty face. What's there to complain about?"

I held back a gasp and felt my heart pounding uncontrollably.

This man was… insanely handsome!

Not only did he strangely remind me of Natsume, but his eyes were a metallic red; they were beautiful. Were there other guys with red eyes besides Natsume?

"A-ah…" the words were tucked behind my tongue. "T-thank you, um…?"

He arched an eyebrow, grinning in amusement. "You don't know who I am?"

I could hear the sideline squeals of girls coming from the background as I slowly shook my head. "N-no, I'm afraid not."

His smile twitched as if he was fighting back a laugh and he sighed, followed by a click of his tongue. "Ah, now that's interesting." He reached out to pick off a piece of glass away from my hair and smiled. "I'll make sure to remember your face though."

Feeling a blush coming on again, I pointed to myself and asked, "M-my face?"

He nodded, pocketing both hands into his jeans. I stood lifelessly still as he neared closer to me and whispered in my ear, "That's right. The face of my cute maid."

His hot breath tickled against my neck and I could swear that my heart dropped to the very pit of my stomach. A tingling sensation took over me. I held back a shriek as he brought my hand closer to his lips before giving it a light peck.

What… was happening right now?

He winked playfully and waved me goodbye as he headed out of the door. Girls rushed after him, some of them begging for his number as they pleaded him to sign their shirts.

I could hear Sumire rushing over to me, screaming out my name, demanding that I spill the beans of what had happened. But words were far from coming out right now. The only thing that was shifting through my mind was the color of red.

That man's eyes were beautiful. They sparkled like shining rubies. But still…I thought Natsume was the only one who had eyes that could glisten so brilliantly, and penetrate through the soul.

My mind felt like a blur. I touched the skin where the mystery guy's lips had planted his chaste kiss upon my hand.

"His eyes were like…glitter."

**.**

I'd like to welcome back my awesome readers who supported me in HMLJ.

How was the first chapter of the new sequel? I hope that each and every reader enjoyed reading this first chapter.

**My original plan was to use small parts of lyrics from some of my favorite K-POP songs for the chapter titles**. However, Fan Fiction has limited rules that go against that. So instead, I will be posting the chapter title and the name of the song that it was originally inspired by. I'm so sorry that the fun was taken away from all of my awesome readers. Still, the story will go on, and the fun for this plot will never stop. I won't fail you with providing an awesome story for you guys!

Next chapter will be in Natsume's POV. Thanks so much for reading!

**~Pinkpocket23**


	2. She's like Oxygen

**Disclaimer: **Nope.

**.**

******SHINee- **Love like Oxygen

**Chapter 2: She's like Oxygen**

**.**

**Natsume **

Both my hands were curling and uncurling into balled fists as I shifted in my seat.

My leg started bouncing anxiously and my foot continued tapping at the floor. All of my patience was fleeting from me now as I clenched my jaw, restraining myself from saying anything vulgar.

Groaning a little under my breath, my eyes flickered over to Ruka who was sending me a small smile as if telling me to hold out a little longer.

I snorted under my breath, chewing on my tongue.

_Like hell… _

Hoping to hold myself together a little more, I ran a hand through my hair and twitched at the irkish feeling of heat taking me over due to the damn lack of cool air.

I looked over to Andou who was busy studying himself with a small compact mirror in one hand, using the other to straighten out his dark bangs.

Youichi sat on the other side of him, appearing to be looking just as bored as I was as he leaned on his arm, cupping his chin within the palm of his hand.

Situated in a seat to Youichi's left, my other band member was finding his own small amusement.

He played with the tips of his spiky brown hair, and entertained himself with blowing small spit bubbles from his mouth, laughing a little after getting a big one. "I got a nice one that time," Koko said, giving Youichi a playful nudge to the arm.

I rolled my eyes at his idiocy and had the ticking urge to shoot up from my seat, and go over to give him a good whack upside his head.

As if sitting in an annoying position filled with utter silence wasn't hard enough, I felt my stomach grumbling from hunger pains, and held back a curse of breath. This was just great…

Just how long did I have to sit here anyway?

"And…cut!"

I gave a great sigh of relief after hearing those words.

"It's about damn time," I grunted sourly, loosening up the collar to my leather jacket.

The director gave a signal to all of the cameramen to stop shooting and gave approving compliments to the staff. "Oh yeah, Sophea," he said, turning to a brunette with pink highlights, "great job like always. We're wrapping it up!"

"Roger that!" Sophea shouted back. She handed her microphone over to another staff member and stood up to give a good stretch to her back before turning to look at me and Ruka. "Alright, well, I'd say that we're done here."

I arose from my seat and yawned, thankful that the long interview was finally over and couldn't wait to get some good food in my stomach. "Man, I'm starving right now."

Ruka stood up and gave a respectful bow to Sophea. "Thank you so much. We're very glad that we could come today."

Andou laughed excitedly, rubbing the bridge of his nose with a smug grin. "I'm just glad that we got a chance to see a pretty face," he said, grabbing Sophea's hand before pecking it with a chaste kiss. "You should call me up sometime."

Koko ruffled his spiky brown hair and peeled his copper eyes over to me. "Well, I'm with Natsume," he said, giving me an approving pat on my shoulder. "I'm so hungry that I could eat a−"

"_Please_ don't finish that sentence," Youichi drawled, with an addition of a roll of his eyes. "Every time you say 'that,' I feel like punching you in the nose."

Koko pouted like a childish five year old and folded both arms over his chest. "Natsume thinks it's funny when I say it." He winked while giving me a nudge to the arm, "Don't you, Natsume?"

I ignored him and gave a respectful bow to our interviewer. "Thanks for letting us come on the show today, Sophea. We enjoyed it."

She smiled in return. "Oh, it's no problem! I'm just glad that I was able to get a good interview out of five hot guys." After shooting a small wink in Andou's direction, she bid goodbye with a wave of her hand and took her leave. "You guys take care!"

Koko clapped his hands together aloud and presented a chest cough. "Well," he said putting both hands on his hips with a click of his tongue and looked at me, "where do you plan on getting a bite to eat?"

I turned away, feeling the heat creeping to my neck as I muttered, "I've got a date…"

"Oh yeah?" Koko came to stand by me, arching his quizzical brow while squinting his eyes in skepticism. "With who?"

Tsubasa whooped a loud whistle. "Is it who I think it is, Natsume?" he asked, patting me on the back. He snorted and turned to the gang. "You guys are so slow. Don't you know that our favorite Natsume has been dating the same girl for a while now?"

"It's that Mikan girl right, Natsume-nii?" Youichi asked me.

Koko waved his hand in the air, jumping up and down like he was high off sugar. "Oh, oh, oh! I wanna meet her, I wanna meet her!" he pleaded. "It's not fair that Youichi and Tsubasa already got a chance to meet her. When can I meet her too, Natsume?"

Tsubasa decided to add onto his brag of rights while saying, "I even got a chance to take some pictures with her and Natsume once before too." He whipped out his wallet and pulled out a set of photos before showing them off to Koko. "See these? I took these pictures when I posed as a fake photographer on their second date. Look at the smug grin on Nattie's face, isn't he cute? Oh, and check out his date. She's got a nice looking che−"

Before the stupid idiot could finish, I whacked him upside of his head and swapped the photos away from his hand. "Shut the hell up."

Ruka came to stand by me as his blue pupils blazed with amusement. "Do you plan on giving Mikan an invitation to the summer resort, Natsume?" he suddenly asked me.

"Why would I do that?"

He shrugged, pocketing both hands into his jeans with a small grin. "I'm planning on giving one to Hotaru. You know she's going to want you to invite Mikan, too."

Of course his Ice Queen for a girlfriend would want that… "I don't know, Ruka," I sighed out, running a hand through my hair. "A lot of celebrities will be at that suite, and… I don't really want the press and a whole bunch of cameras nosing their way into our relationship at the moment."

Ruka's brows rose as if he were fighting back a laugh. He patted my shoulder while saying, "Dude… You can't hide her away from the public eye forever." The mediation in his voice was beginning to annoy me… "You should concentrate more on your relationship with her."

My eyes rolled at his 'Love conquers all crap,' as I decided to take my leave.

"Well if you're done," I pulled out my car keys and swung them around my finger while finishing off, "I'm going on ahead. It's late, and I'm supposed to be meeting Mikan at a restaurant."

He sighed in return, shrugging in defeat. "Alright, man."

I nodded and whipped out my favorite pair of black shades, ready to put on my disguise for my upcoming date. Honestly, I didn't like having to hide my relationship from the public myself, but I didn't feel like putting up with much bull crap from the media.

I snorted, brushing the thought away. My brows creased together as I chewed a little on my tongue.

_It's easier this way…_

**.**

Okay…

So, according to my numerable experiences with women, whenever it came to dates, girls were _always _supposed to be the first ones to arrive early.

Guys were to arrive a little later than expected − probably walk in with a bouquet of roses in replace for their lame excuse for not coming on time.

Each girl that I had ever dated never minded in the least that I came late for a date; they were too busy swooning over the fact that I had bothered to go out with them at all.

My eyes narrowed at the vacant seat in front of me.

Girls were supposed to be the first to arrive early on a date… So why the hell am _**I**_ the one sitting secluded to a table in a five star restaurant, looking like a sore loser who just got stood up while waiting for my _**girlfriend **_to make her arrival?

I sighed, sparing a quick glance at the time of my wristwatch. My brows creased together and I felt more pissed off than ever.

"That idiot…"

"Would you like another bottle of wine, sir?" I looked up to find my waitress who had made just about her tenth round to my table. She smiled, eyes pleading me as if to announce my wishes and it would be mine. "Can I get you anything at all?"

"No thanks," I grunted, waving her off with my hand. "I'm fine…"

She looked somewhat disappointed but kept a bright smile to her face while walking off. I sighed at the expense of a half empty glass of red wine, feeling my breaking point.

It never occurred to me that I had been chugging down drinks on the rocks for the longest time. My bottle of wine meant for two was now completely gone, and my date had yet to make her arrival. Hell, this was starting to become too much.

I swung an arm over the edge of my chair, propped a leg upon the table, and pulled out my red blackberry from the pocket of my jacket. My fingers forcibly punched in letters for a text and it was a miracle that my phone didn't break.

**To: **Mikan

_**WHERE R U?**_

I chewed on my tongue, rereading the message at least twice.

"Damn…"

Rather than feeling like a pathetic fool, I cancelled the message immediately and shoved my phone back into my pocket. I tilted my black shades back, muttered another curse of breath, and buried my face within my hands. This was so fucking annoying, complicated, and way past the word, humiliating.

_Why_ was this situation so difficult for me?

Here I am, practically hyperventilating over the fact that my girlfriend hasn't showed up for our appointed date and the feeling of rejection is just… killing me. I shouldn't be angry that she wasn't here. That was not the Natsume Hyuuga way.

I don't get pissed off over trivial things like this, especially when it came to a girl. I don't brood over the fact that she doesn't answer my calls, I don't chicken out on sending a text message to her just because I'm afraid of what she'll think or say, and I don't chug down glasses of wine in hopes of brushing away the thought of possibly being stood up for the first time.

Those things just didn't happen to me.

But when it came to her… When I thought of her, talked to her, or even _breathed_ around her, I felt as if all my troubles meant nothing, and that I could leave behind the complications of fame without a second thought.

She was like my light that illuminated out the dark negatives of my life that were always trying to hold me down. It had been so long since I had felt this way.

The only person in the world who used to make me feel such bliss was…

"Natsume?"

I snapped my head up and felt myself go rigid in my seat as I stared back at a pair of hazel orbs.

The beautiful creature standing before my eyes looked back at me in worry. Her brows were knitted together as if she were unsure as to sit down, and she bit her bottom lip in a way that made me want to lunge over and kiss her like mad.

I closed my mouth which had been hanging open and cleared my throat. "You're late."

She smiled apologetically. "I know," she groaned, pulling out a seat as she sat at the table. "I'm so sorry I'm late. It wasn't on purpose, I promise. You see… I had this long shift that I had to make up for especially since I didn't show up due to the fact that I overslept because of exams. The day started out pretty slow but then, suddenly we started getting all of these customers. And what's worse is that I accidentally broke some plates, so Hotaru was pretty mad about that and…"

I didn't pay any attention to what she was saying.

How could I? This very woman in front of me made it hard to concentrate on anything.

She wore a pink spaghetti top with a printed heart that could be seen just above the right corner of her breast. I couldn't help but stare at that spot for a while…

Her hair was let loose to hang freely upon her shoulders. It was a little tangled, looking as if she did her best to comb it out with the little time that she had.

From the looks of things, she had obviously been in a hurry. Sweat exuded from her pores all the way down to her collarbone and I couldn't get over the feeling that she looked hot with her hair spilled all over her face. It was a beautiful color of auburn, and I had the strangest urge to reach out and intertwine my fingers within her silky strands.

"Natsume?"

I blinked in response to my name, suddenly coming back to realization. "Hm? Did you say something?"

She arched a brow. "I asked if you were okay."

Damn the sweet innocence in her voice. For some reason I found it to be a turn-on. And her brown eyes were so round, bright and full of life. I gulped at the sight of her.

"You look beautiful." The words suddenly left my mouth before I even had time to realize what I had just said.

"Eh?" She blinked back aloof at the unexpected compliment.

What the hell did I just say?

"Ah…" I felt my throat go dry and I gulped again, feeling like a complete moron for acting so nervous in front of her. Hoping to brush off the awkward moment, I ran a hand through my hair and cleared my throat, "I said you look beautiful."

My eyes peeled over to her as I rubbed the back of my neck. Her confused expression slowly transcended into a beaming smile that made her light up like an angel. Had she always looked this gorgeous?

She giggled playfully and shook her head. "Thanks for the compliment, but I think you need glasses. I mean, do you see how tangled my hair is?"

I shrugged indifferently like it wasn't such a big deal. "It looks fine to me."

Her eyes rolled in disbelief and she gave a disapproving sigh. "Natsume, I look like a mess. I didn't have any clothes ready for our date so I just put on anything that I could find. And on top of that, I really need to wash my hair."

I wanted to challenge her words, but held my tongue.

_You look perfect…_

She licked her lips avidly and it was then that I noticed the fine color of caramel mocha that outlined her mouth. "Are you wearing lip gloss?" I asked her.

Her eyes lit up at the question. "Oh yeah, can you tell?" She tucked a few bangs behind her ear and smiled. "This girl at work let me have one of her lip chap bottles. She said that it's the perfect color to attract customers."

Wait… Perfect color to do what?

I shifted in my seat and grunted out, "Who were you trying to look cute for?"

"No one," she answered quickly, waving her hand a little as she nervously laughed. I noticed a sudden blush creeping to her cheeks. "I only have one guy to look good for. Besides, my lips get dry a lot."

"Hn…"

I decided to ignore the subject and turned my head to call the appointed waitress to our table. She was leaning against the side of a small podium, and after realizing that I was beckoning her to come over, her face highlighted into excitement as she snatched up her checkbook and pen.

She briskly approached the table and flipped her blonde head of hair while asking, "Are you ready to order, sir?"

Clicking my tongue expectantly, I nodded and answered, "I'll have a plate of spaghetti and meat sauce. Oh yeah, go ahead and bring another bottle of wine too." I looked to my girlfriend who was busy looking through her menu, biting her lips like she didn't know what to do. "What about you, Mikan?"

She looked back up at me, hesitating a little while scratching her head. "Hm… I'm not ready just yet." Laughing a little in embarrassment, she smiled at the waitress. "Give me a few more minutes please."

The waitress took notice of my date with her brows furrowing into a small frown, and she snorted faintly under her breath. I looked over to Mikan just to catch a small glimpse of her reaction and had to smirk at the disapproving scowl etched on her face.

After taking down my order, the waitress looked back to me and patted my shoulder. "Please let me know if you need anything else," she said before walking off with a good sashay to her swinging hips.

I heard Mikan present a chest cough and turned to look at her as she flared a glare to our waitress before looking back at me. "She seems fond of you."

It took just about everything for me not to laugh at the sour tone in her voice. I shrugged simply and couldn't help but add, "Most women are." Her bottom lip shifted a little and I noticed the sudden tenseness in her change of mood. For some reason, I felt worried. "What's with that look?"

"What look?"

"That look, right there," I directed, pointing a finger at her evident scowl.

She raised both brows like she didn't know what the hell I was talking about. "What look?" she asked again, shrugging her shoulders. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm not giving you any−"

"_Baby, you light up my world like nobody else.  
The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed…"_

Oh. Hell. No…

"What the hell?" I groaned, suddenly feeling pissed off after hearing the most annoying song on the planet. My eyes narrowed at my date whose cheeks were flushing a bright red. This girl… "Mikan… Is that who I _think_ it is?"

Not minding in the least that she had been found out, she clasped both hands together, smiled brightly and squealed, "It's my new One Direction ringotne! It lets me know when I get a new text message. Don't you like it?"

One of my brows twitched at the question. "What happened to your Mick Jagger obsession?" I asked her. Seriously, I'd rather hear his voice go off from her phone other than that annoying piece of… I sighed and grunted out, "Didn't you used to have _him_ as your ringtone instead?"

She shrugged indifferently and looked at her phone. "Well, yeah, but, I really like One Direction's new song. Besides," her voice gushed out in a high pitched squeal, "Zayn and Harry are so cute!"

_What the hell…?_

It was just like her to have a fandom obsession over celebrity singers... Although I would be lying if I didn't feel a little bothered by the fact that her said obsession didn't revolve around me, but like hell was I going to tell her that.

Her eyes rolled at the response of my sneering snort, and then her lips pursed into another angelic smile that made my neck heat up, and I could feel my hormones raging like crazy.

"So," I chest coughed, shifting in my seat while running a hand through my hair, "was work long? Anything interesting happen?"

Both of her brows rose and she nodded while stuttering a small, "S-sort of…" Was she blushing right now…? "It was a pretty tight shift. Oh!" She put a finger to her chin as if suddenly remembering something. "By the way, I saw your interview on TV today."

A hitch of breath got stuck in my throat after that one sentence. "You did?"

I started feeling hot all of a sudden, not expecting the new choice of subject.

She watched my interview today? Well, I guess that it was to be expected since it _was_ on live national television. Hopefully I didn't say anything on the interview that would want to make her start interrogating me with questions. I can't even recall some of the stuff that I had said…

She laughed and said, "Yeah, you were looking pretty sharp in that black leather jacket." One of her brows rose as she folded both hands under chin, placing her elbows on top of the table. "And I thought that you said you only wear black leather when you feel like it. By the way," she reached out to tap a finger at my tinted shades, "those look good on you."

My lips thinned into a smug grin. "Did you enjoy seeing me on screen?"

"Hmm… It was alright, I guess." Her finger outlined the napkin of her unwrapped set of silverware as her brown eyes slowly traced back up to me. "But I was more interested hearing the interviewer ask you questions about your love life."

Once again, I felt my body go rigid and shifted upright in my seat. "What about it?" I asked nonchalant.

"Well," she started, doing her same bad habit where her two front teeth overlapped her bottom lip, "when she asked if you planned on discarding your singles card, you responded in a way that… made me feel bad."

"How did I make you feel bad?" I asked her, confused all of a sudden. What did I say that would want to make her feel bad? "You weren't even there when I did the interview."

"I know that," she grumbled out. "But I guess I just didn't like your answer." Her eyes shifted away to the floor and then quickly flashed back up to me. "You said that you didn't have a girlfriend and that you thought being single was a lot easier for you."

What the… Where was all of this coming from?

I shrugged and added, "So what?"

So, I said some things to denounce my love life, my _private_ life. People said things like that all the time; it wasn't like I needed the whole world to be brownnosing their way into my damn business, anyway.

"Here you are, sir."

The waitress made her appearance as she came to set down another bottle of red wine at the table and placed a plate of spaghetti in front of me. Mikan huffed out another sigh in annoyance and muttered something like, "You're so insensitive," under her breath meant especially for me and my brow twitched slightly.

The waitress offered to grate cheese over my meal in which I declined and she smiled, "Alright then. Please enjoy!"

I rolled my eyes as she took her leave and redirected my attention back to the brunette in front of me. "Mikan," my voice started, low and compromising, "you know that I didn't mean any of that stuff that I said. I was just… making it seem like I wanted to stay single. I mean why else would I be with you? Besides, I thought that we agreed to keep our relationship a secret from the public for a while, anyway."

"It's not that I don't understand where you're coming from," she quickly implied. "I'm just… a little bothered by it that's all."

Oh, hell. What was it with women and emotional feelings of being 'bothered' by things? Next thing you know, she'll probably bring up something like me having an old girlfriend…

"And then when she asked you about your old 'flame' from the past−"

"Oh, hell," I groaned, putting a hand to my head. "Mikan… Dammit, she doesn't even mean anything to me."

"But your response," she begged to differ. "…Your response to the question made me think that you did still feel something for her." I groaned again and she continued on with her point, her voice sauntering in understanding. "I mean, I don't like feeling this way. In fact I feel a little disappointed with myself since I was the one that agreed on keeping our relationship on a low key for a while, but… I don't like the fact that you always have to wear a pair of shades for a disguise whenever we go out. And I feel more upset over the fact that you might still have feelings for a girl from your past, and what's worse is that I don't even know who she is."

I sighed, running a hand through my hair, "It's not important."

Her brows knitted together. Clearly, those weren't the words that she wanted to hear. "Why is it not important?"

"Why do you care?"

She stared back at me for a good while. "I don't," her tone was dry and inanimate as she shrugged and looked away. "I don't care. Not at all."

I studied her face, watching as she chewed on her tongue. "You're mad…"

"…I'm not mad."

"You are mad," I repeated in a matter of fact tone, sour over the fact that she was still refusing to look in my direction. "Look at me."

She folded both arms over her chest, pretending to be interested in something else while staring off in a daze.

I clicked my tongue and attempted to try again. "Mikan… Look. At. Me."

Nothing.

The damn girl was just sitting in her seat, ears closed off to my voice. I snorted at the given silent treatment. Alright then, if that's how she wants it…

Refusing to take her stubborn petulance any longer, I abruptly arose from my seat, slid it over to the spot where she was, and plopped myself down. Ignoring her annoyed scowl, I grabbed her chin in between my forefinger and thumb and growled out, "I love you."

She blinked twice, staring back at me like I was a mad man. "That's not enough for me to−"

I didn't let her speak.

My mouth quickly covered over hers, and I almost died of satisfaction at the feeling of my tongue seeping deep inside of her sweet cavern. Hell of all things, I was the one to be upset.

She was the one who was late for our date, she was the one asking me annoying questions about things that didn't even matter, and she was the one who irritated the hell out of me by ignoring my presence.

She needed this punishment. I needed to release my frustration. Kissing her like this was the perfect solution.

I plunged into her mouth again, ignoring the inflicting hits to the chest coming from her small wrists, and seduced her even more. She moaned and I smirked against her lips, loving the feeling of dominance. I took her fully, nibbling at her bottom lip as I sucked in her small shriek, and didn't give a damn if we were inside of a restaurant.

After one more breathless push, I released her, allowing ourselves to breathe in the much needed air. She panted out in heavy breaths and I felt proud to see her face so flustered.

She did her best to frown but gave up with another one of her dorky laughs that I loved so much. "…You're such a jerk."

I grinned back. "But that's what you love about me."

We stared back at each other and couldn't help but laugh like the idiots that we were. Her laugh was so full of life, almost like a bewitching spell being cast upon me.

She wiped a tear away from her face and smiled. "It's been a while since we were able to laugh like this together, huh?"

My brows furrowed together when she said that. Had it really been so long?

I thought back to what Ruka had said, about how I needed to stop trying to protect her from the complications of my celebrity fame and focus more on our relationship.

Just because I was always busy and didn't want the cameras on my private life didn't mean that Mikan had to suffer by not being able to be around me all the time. She didn't deserve that…

With my mind made up, I gave a light flick to her forehead and grinned. "I've got a surprise for you."

Her eyes flickered excitedly as she gasped, "A surprise? That sounds fun! What did you get me?"

It was so easy to please her… I pecked a light kiss to her nose and said, "I can't tell you just yet. You'll see what it is very soon."

She pouted out her lower lip, puffing her cheeks that put a small smile on my face. "That's no fun. When can I get it?"

"You'll find out next Monday."

"Next Monday?" she asked, cocking her head to the side. "That happens to be the last day of school for me just before summer break… Why would−"

"It's a _surprise_," I interjected, practically underling the entire sentence out for her. "I'm not going to spoil it for you. Just wait and see."

She stared back at me with another one of her cute, bemused frowns and rolled her eyes in defeat. I swung an arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to my chest while inhaling the sweet, tangerine scent from her hair, and kissed her head.

I smiled a little to myself.

Yes. This was definitely the woman I loved.

She was my air, the oxygen in my lungs… and I wanted to breathe her in forever.

**-(Preview)-**

"**I don't know Hotaru. Sometimes…I just feel like I'm going crazy."**

There were so many screams sounding off like sirens.

My eyes widened in awe, almost mortified by the sight ahead. It just couldn't be…

"**I have to go stop them before they do something stupid."**

**.**

I had so much fun doing a chapter in Natsume's POV.

By the way, the next two chapters will be in Mikan's POV. It's fun so far lol.

Oh, quick P.S.: I just posted a new story that I think of a lot of you readers (who enjoy mystery), might like. The story is titled, **Run Devil Run**. If you have the time, I'd be honored if you guys checked it out. ^_^

Thanks so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it.


	3. Going Crazy

**Disclaimer: **Only the story is mine.

**.**

******After School- **Bang!

**Chapter 3: Going Crazy**

**.**

**Mikan**

5…

4…

3…

2…

1…

"IT'S THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!"

That one sentence was all it took to earn a sharing roar of excitement from the entire class.

Having a substitute teacher (who was currently sleeping his life away on a desk) made it very easy for everyone to go crazy.

Girls were standing on top of desks, swaying their hips to the loud music of their iPods as they offered up cheers with a clank of their soda cans.

Some of the boys were whipping out poppers from their backpacks, setting off a stage of confetti as they released the color of decorative paper all over the room.

People who decided to bring snacks were arranging a set of cakes and chips while lining up a group of students behind a table. I could hear other students running amuck through the halls like a pack of wild animals screaming, _"Freedom!" _with teachers chasing after them.

I sighed, shaking my head and laughed a little to myself.

Yep. It was that time again ─ the time where it meant fun in the sun for college students, and where spending countless hours at the beach came into play.

Summer was finally here.

Upon this wonderful Monday morning, I was currently sitting in my English class, enjoying my relaxing moment of listening to some Justin Beiber hits with my favorite pair of pink headphones.

Exams were done, homework was no more, and as soon as this last day of school was over, summer would be in the palm of my hand.

I sighed in satisfaction, propping one leg upon my desk while flashing a happy-go-lucky smile to my best friend who was busy doing… whatever the hell it was that she was doing.

"Hotaru," I said, cocking my head to the side while looking at her desk stacked with photos, "what are you doing?"

She shrugged, humming to herself as she continued her routine for using her scissors to cut out pictures.

Some of them were placed in a neat stack to the side, while others were scrambled in a certain color coded order. I took notice that practically just about every one of them was taken of Ruka.

After finishing off the trimming edges of her photo, Hotaru studied it for a while and held it up to me. "Mikan, how much do you think this one will sell?"

My eyes squinted together, scrutinizing the taken photo of a handsome blonde sleeping soundly while wearing a… pair of pink boxers with printed rabbits on them?

"No way!" I laughed, pointing at the picture of Ruka. "Does he really go to sleep wearing those?"

Hotaru tapped her fingers at the base of her desk and shook her head. "Honestly," her monotone voice sighed, "you would think that he knew better than to fall asleep whenever I'm around. This work is so easy for me."

Whoa, can this girl be scary at times or what? I smiled weakly, gesturing my head towards her so called 'work,' and asked, "So… what do you exactly plan on doing with all of those photos anyway, Hotaru?"

A small devious smile slowly grazed from the corner of her lips, and a look of evil intentions flickered within her purple eyes.

"I'm sure girls would just love to see how their number one hot, celebrity chef _really_ is behind closed doors." She patted her stack of photos and sighed in content. "This is what I live for, making a profit. After all, summer is all about making money." Next, she turned expectantly to me, holding up another embarrassing picture of her boyfriend. "Always remember, Mikan. Money is your best friend."

I could only roll my eyes at her usual greedy personality. Well, I guess that she was bound to say something like─ "Hey!" I gaped after letting her cold words settle in my head. "What about me?" I pointed to myself. "Aren't I your best friend?"

Never one for dramatic sequences, she simply snorted, waving me away from her personal space like I was some pesky fly. Seriously, this was one of my pet peeves whenever it came to hanging around Hotaru…

Despite being my best friend, she always had to have a cold heart and shun me away whenever she felt like it.

Well, if she was going to be like that, then I didn't need to sit beside her anyway. I could tell when I wasn't wanted.

Giving one last look of displeasure to the cold hearted woman, I plucked out my headphones out of my ears, slowly arose from my chair with my nose high in the air, and decided to head to the bathroom.

I gave a good stretch to my arms and yawned tiredly as I made my way towards the door.

Two girls were sitting near the door with their desks grouped together as they chatted and giggled playfully. One of them flipped her highlighted red bangs and said, "No way, Kana, I don't believe any of that stuff."

Hoping to get by, I smiled apologetically while trying to squeeze myself through the small cracks of their desks. "Excuse me, girls, I'm just making my way through."

The other one flashed a quick smile in my direction while scooting her chair up a little more. She turned her attention back to the girl beside her. "I'm serious, it's the truth! All the details of how you can tell that your boyfriend is cheating on you."

Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold the phone…

My ears perked up like a dog, and my left foot stopped short before I could take another step for the door.

I craned my neck, slowly doing a pivot turn as I found myself suddenly taking interest in the conversation after hearing the words: "Boyfriend," and "Cheating."

The one called Kana held up what appeared to be a teen magazine and grinned knowingly. "I'm telling you, Aya. This magazine never lies."

I inched myself a little closer towards her desk, hoping to get a better view of the magazine. The title read: _Pops of Japan, Hottest Celeb News!_ My brows furrowed together as I tried to read more of the article.

Taking notice of my presence, the girl with red highlights looked up and smiled at me. "Oh, hey there, Mikan-chan," she greeted, scooting her chair over to make room. "Did you want to join us?"

"E-eh?" I blinked twice in response and laughed nervously, rubbing my head. Well, this was a little embarrassing… "Ah, um… N-no thanks, Aya, I was just…"

The other one with short cropped bangs pulled at my arm. "Check this out, Sakura," Kana said, holding up her magazine as she winked. "I just bought the new edition of Pops of Japan magazine, and it lists a special article of how to tell that your boyfriend is cheating on you. Have a look."

I gulped, trying to decipher whether or not it was such a good idea.

Well, if I stopped to think about it, I really didn't have anything to worry about.

It wasn't like my boyfriend (who just so happened to be one of the hottest icons of the century with girls always throwing themselves at him), was seeing other people behind my back.

Still, I had this… antsy feeling to just swipe up the magazine and scour through the pages. I bit my lip, finally coming to a decision.

"W-well," I stuttered, reaching out for the magazine, "It couldn't hurt, right? I mean, it's not like I have a boyfriend that's probably cheating on me anyway…" Though I said the words with confidence, I had a hint of doubt hanging in the back of my mind.

My eyes scanned over the title as I read over the article:

**-.-**

Want to know if your boyfriend is cheating on you? Here are some hints you might want to think about:

**.He's Super Protective of His Phone and Other Gadgets**

When it comes to his privacy, he might get really defensive when you try to look through his phone. Also, he'll want to keep his computer to himself. If he used to give you his passwords back then but is more evasive about it now, then that's a giant red flag!

**.Changes of Grooming and Appearance**

This should be an obvious sign, but it's one that a lot of women miss. His hair which used to be unkempt and messy is being washed more often and groomed. He'll change up his style of appearance and you might notice him working more out at the gym.

**.His Scent is Different**

Has he stopped trying to smell good for you in the past? If things are starting to change now, you might notice a dash of Armani cologne or Usher floating about his scent. This could definitely mean that he's stepping up his game for a different woman. Does he smell different to you than he did in the morning? This could mean that he's showered at "her" place after a sensual escapade. (Yikes!)

**-.-**

I read over other tips provided by the article, and almost had to fight back a laugh.

Okay, so let's see…

Natsume isn't really protective about me looking through his phone, and I don't really see him getting on his laptop much. His style is pretty much the same: a pair of dark jeans, a nice muscle-tee from time to time, and his hair is usually messy. I don't think anything has changed regarding his scent. He still smells of cinnamon and wood to me.

So...I think I could assume that I'm in the safe zone.

"Didn't you used to have a boyfriend once before, Sakura?" Kana suddenly asked, breaking me away from my thoughts.

"Huh?" I felt my heart skip a beat at the sudden question and felt nervous. Bringing up Natsume in relationship topics never made me comfortable…

"Oh, yeah, I remember him," Aya nodded. She had this dazed look about her where her eyes were sparkling in admiration. "He was that Natsume Hyuuga look-alike from way back then, right, Mikan-chan? The really hot one?"

"Oh, yeah that was the one," Kana snapped her fingers in remembrance. "You two aren't together anymore, right, Sakura? I guess that was bound to happen." She shrugged her shoulders and said, "Any man that good looking was sure to cheat on you. No wonder you guys broke up."

"He never cheated on me!" I defended quickly, handing the magazine back to her with a frown. For her information, I was _still_ dating him…"And b-besides, this magazine isn't all the way accurate. I don't believe any of it."

Aya smirked triumphantly and looked back at Kana. "Told ya," she said smugly.

"Mikan…"

I turned my head and raised my brows in surprise to find Hotaru approaching.

She had a pink bag full of photos hanging off of her shoulder, and was wearing a cap of which I could swear that showed a half-naked Ruka on the front.

Gawking at her weird fashion sense, I greeted, "Hey, Hotaru, what's up?"

She held up a long shirt with an enlarged image of a certain blonde dressed in a pair of bunny pajamas. Her name and number could be seen in red captions just at the bottom.

"I need you to do me a favor," she directed, handing the shirt to me. "Walk around campus while wearing this shirt. Depending on how sales go, I might be willing to split the profit in half with you."

"Are you for real?" I said in disbelief, wrinkling my nose at the embarrassing image of Ruka. Seriously, where did this girl find the time to do all of these things?

"Hey there, Imai, how's it going?" Kana said, holding up her teen magazine. She grinned wryly and winked. "You interested in finding out if your boyfriend is cheating on you?"

"He's not that stupid," Hotaru replied apathetically.

Kana shrugged off the refusal. "Well, anyway," she said, starting up another subject, "are any of you girls doing anything special for summer break?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Nothing probably. Why did you ask?"

That was all it took for Kana to squeal, "Didn't you guys hear about the summer break special that Jet R3D is hosting?" Her eyes rolled in response to the blank look on everyone's faces. She held up her magazine and pointed to a particular page. "Look, right here. It says that Jet R3D will be hosting a special summer music session at a resort for two whole months! A ton of famous celebrities will be there as well. But the best part is that if you happen to win a special ticket, then you can go to the resort too!"

"No way!" Aya exclaimed, pulling on my arm as she shrieked excitedly. "I'd kill for tickets to a resort with Jet R3D. Just imagine being able to stay in the same hotel with Natsume Hyuuga!"

"N-Natsume?" I asked, surprised to hear the news.

Come to think of it… I do remember hearing about his band doing something special for the summer. I tipped a finger to my chin, thinking about what the event had to offer.

Having the chance to spend time with Natsume at a hotel… didn't sound too bad.

I blushed suddenly at the thought. Me being with Natsume at a hotel would definitely open up doors for his perverted intentions. I doubt that he'd let such a big opportunity pass up…

"I heard that Ruka Nogi will be there too, Hotaru," Kana added, giving a nudge to Hotaru's arm. "He is your _famous_ boyfriend after all. Do you plan on going with him?"

Hotaru blinked twice, closed her eyes with an impassive sigh, and pulled out a red ticket from her pocket. "Is that even a question?"

Gasping in disbelief with all of our eyes widening like saucers, Kana, Aya and I squealed, "LUCKY!"

Aya gave a sigh, clutching a hand over her heart. "Oh, I would so die if I was able to be in the same hotel with Natsume Hyuuga. How can you win a ticket, Kana?"

Kana flipped through another page of her magazine while saying, "The only way that you can win a ticket is by entering the contest." She pointed to a yellow form at the bottom of the page. "See this? You have to fill out a slip like this from a teen magazine in able to enter. I'm entering my name in today!"

"What about you, Mikan-chan?" Aya asked, jumping up excitedly. "Do you plan on entering the contest too?"

My mind wanted to say yes, but instead I answered, "Ah… n-no, I don't think so." I shrugged, trying to sound indifferent. "Besides, who knows? I might get pretty busy working summer shifts at Central Café. So…"

"That aside," Hotaru's monotone voice cut in as she held up two embarrassing priceless photos of a handsome blonde. "Are any of you ladies interested in buying a special photo of the hot celebrity chef, Ruka Nogi?"

All three of us fell silent, gawking at a sexy, bare naked Ruka. Whoa…

Hotaru grinned with a special glint in her eye. "These were taken by yours truly. Not sold in stores."

**.**

"This all you getting, sweetheart?"

I smiled at the lunch lady as she asked me that question, doing my best not to show that I was staring intently at the giant mole at the side of her bottom lip.

She arched one of her hairy eyebrows, waiting for me to respond, probably because I was holding up the rest of the lunch line.

Keeping a nervous smile, I nodded and handed her a five dollar bill. "Yes, ma'am," I answered her. "I just want this plate of four-cheese lasagna, that's it."

She nodded with a click of her tongue. "Alright, two dollars and thirty-six cents is your change." After tearing off the receipt from the machine, she handed it to me as her gruff voice said, "Have a nice day."

I took my change and smiled. "T-thank you very much…"

After paying for my desired meal, I gave a small sigh of relief and situated myself at a round table in the cafeteria. Idle conversations coming from the many college students slowly drowned into the background as I became lost in my own thoughts.

I took a sip of cola, letting the sugary caffeine dance on my tongue. For some reason, the enjoyable moment of drinking my favorite soda didn't seem to lighten my mood.

Thoughts of a certain raven haired rock star surrounded by a never-ending crowd of screaming fan-girls continued to circulate through my mind.

It wasn't like I was worried about him probably… _possibly,_ cheating on me, but… There were so many beautiful women practically throwing themselves at him every day. Who could ignore something like that?

Natsume and I are a couple…right?

So, if that be the case, why didn't I get a special invitation to his summer suite resort or… whatever it the hell it was called? I'm sure that he wouldn't forget to give his own girlfriend a free ticket to one of his very own special events.

I picked a fork at my lasagna and snorted. "That stupid jerk…"

_**Whap!**_

"What the─"

I flinched in response to a splat of whip cream being shot dead in my face.

Growling through gritted teeth, I wiped the cream away from my face, flared my nostrils at the one responsible, and yelled, "Hotaru! What is it with you always flicking things at my head, huh?"

Sitting across from me with a cup of vanilla yogurt and whip topping, Hotaru simply shrugged. "Because it's fun," she replied blandly. She took a small bite of yogurt and looked at me. "Anyway, why are you pouting?"

I snorted and looked away. "I'm not pouting…"

Hotaru clicked her tongue, closing her eyes while taking another bite of yogurt. "I'll attempt to ask once more, and after that, I'll pretend not to be interested." Her purple eyes opened to look at me. "Why are you pouting?"

I bit my lip and sighed. "It's…Natsume." Hotaru rolled her eyes and I quickly defended with, "You asked me, didn't you?"

"When is your world or problems never centered on that cocky idiot?" she retorted dryly.

Shrugging my shoulders, I answered, "I dunno, I can't help it. I was just thinking about some of the stuff Kana was saying earlier…"

"Mikan," Hotaru started slowly. "You seriously think that Natsume would cheat on you?"

I blushed, biting my lip. "T-that's not what I meant, (though it's half the problem), but I was talking about something else." My brows furrowed together. "How come… How come I didn't get a special ticket to that… Jet R3D summer resort thing, or whatever it's called?"

"I don't know. Ask your boyfriend."

"I'm asking _you_, Hotaru," I growled, demanding her attention as my best friend. "Besides, your boyfriend gave you a special ticket to the resort. How come Natsume didn't give one to me?"

Hotaru shrugged while crunching on a piece of pecan from her yogurt. "You're asking the wrong person. Obviously, he had his reasons for not giving you one. Did you ever stop to think about that?"

"Do you think he's… you know?" I inhaled sharply and whispered out, "Cheating on me?"

My only response was having a piece of pecan being thrown at my head.

Hotaru rolled her eyes. "Don't be stupid. What reason would he have to cheat on you after all the things that you've been through together? That's dumb."

"I know it is," I defended, folding my arms over my chest. "I don't know Hotaru. Sometimes…I just feel like I'm going crazy."

"More importantly," Hotaru started, "how long do you plan on keeping your secret from Shouda?"

My eyes looked away to the floor. "You mean telling her about how I'm dating Natsume?" Giving a small sigh, I shrugged. "I really don't want to go there right now. Sumire is more like a rabid fan-girl whenever it comes to rock stars and idols. She'll kill me if I tell her."

Hotaru clicked her tongue with an approved nod. "All the more reason to do it. I think it would be fun to watch."

This cold-hearted woman… "You always enjoy watching those around you suffer," I muttered sourly. "Right now, I just can't think up a good way to tell Sumire─"

"Tell me what?"

"Ah!" I screamed in surprise, to find a familiar head of green hair and green eyes right beside me. "S-Sumire, I didn't s-see you there…!"

Giving me an odd look, Sumire simply situated herself down in a seat. "Tell me what?" she repeated.

Wow, this was bad.

"Ah, um… That is, well… I didn't know how to t-tell you…" Hoping to come up with a good answer, I eyed the table frantically in search of a quick save. "That I… didn't want my plate of lasagna! Yeaaah ─ that's it." I slid over my plate of four-cheese lasagna to her with a smile and added, "Because you know, I always _love _eating lasagna. I'm a lasagna freak. So, I didn't know how to tell you that I didn't want it, and just wanted you to have it instead. It breaks my heart."

Sumire eyed the plate of lasagna then lazily looked back up at me.

"You're weird…" she snorted. She shrugged off the thought with a flip of her green hair. "Anyway, I can't stay long ladies, so I'll make this quick. I've got a big scoop." Folding both arms under her chin, she grinned and asked, "Guess what?"

"No," Hotaru answered.

I laughed and shrugged. "What is it?"

Sumire's eyes blazed with excitement. "Jet R3D is hosting a special music session at a resort for the summer for two whole months! And anyone who wins a ticket can stay there too!" She inhaled a long breath of air, and gasped, "Oh. My. Gosh! Do you know what that means?" Her eyes rolled at the given silence. "It means that I have a chance at winning a two months summer getaway with my idol/future husband, Natsume HYUUGA!"

Well, how ironic was this? I had been discussing this exact topic just seconds ago.

I smiled back weakly. "Wow, that's… really cool."

"Isn't it?" Sumire beamed with a sigh of admiration. "So, anyway, I just wanted to spread the news. If any of you happen to get your hands on an edition of a teen magazine, let me know so I can tear out the entry form. I'm going to enter my name in over and over again!"

Hotaru sneered at the persistent gleam in her eyes. "Hopeful girl…"

Sumire shot a narrowed glare with a flare of her nostrils. "Hey, not all of us have a celebrity chef for a boyfriend who can get us a ticket for _free,_ Hotaru." After giving another flip to her hair, she arose from the table and winked. "Well, I'll see you girls later. I've got to do some scoping for some teen magazines. Someone's bound to have an entry form in a magazine somewhere."

I kept my fake smile while waving her goodbye as she took her leave. "See ya!"

Hotaru watched Sumire go and after a silent count of five seconds, her purple eyes turned to look at me. "You failed," her voice stated in a matter of fact tone.

Rolling my eyes, I pulled at my auburn strands and groaned. "I couldn't tell her. How could I? Did you see the determined gleam shining in her eyes?" I shuddered at the thought of a past memory. "It's the very same look that she gets when she goes shopping. If I tell her about me and Natsume now, who knows what she'll do."

And for me, that one undoubted fact couldn't be far from the truth. Like Hotaru, Sumire had been a life-long friend for as long as I can remember.

I mean, our friendship dates all the way back to the good ol' high school days of skipping class, and eating a good meal underneath the bleachers of the school gym. The _"tell me everything because I'm your best friend, or else we're through," _code of honor was at stake here.

"Ah! Look, look, it's them! It's Jet R3D!"

"Oh my gosh! They're so hot! Look at them!"

Right out of nowhere, the sudden screams and shrieks of excitement sounded off in the cafeteria.

It was like a pattern, where one table of girls started squealing, and then the next table right beside them started shouting, and so on.

There were so many screams sounding off like sirens. Girls who were patiently waiting out their time in the lunch line stopped what they were doing, and herded together like wild animals as they bombarded throughout the cafeteria.

Wondering what the hell was going on; I tried to skim through the crowd of people to see what the big deal was.

"What's the rush? Why is everybody ─ ACK!" I choked on my sip of cola and nearly fell right out of my seat.

After gasping for air, I abruptly stood up with my jaw dropping a dead low. My eyes widened in awe, almost mortified by the sight ahead.

"No way!" I gasped, bewildered by what I was seeing. It just couldn't be…

I heard Hotaru scoff. "Now this is interesting," her dried voice said with amusement. "It really is Jet R3D."

She was right.

Two very familiarly handsome faces were currently waltzing their way throughout the cafeteria. One of them had jet-black hair and steel blue eyes, wearing a charming grin as he welcomed the endearing fans. The other one to his left with silver hair and teal-grey eyes seemed to be more annoyed than warm. His stoic "get lost," expression resembled that of Natsume's.

I blinked back twice. "Tsubasa? Y-Youichi?"

"Mikan Sakura!" Tsubasa beckoned my name aloud as he walked through the crowd of screaming fan-girls. "Come out, come out, wherever you are! We're here to give a special gift to you. Yoo-hoo, Mikan!"

Was this really happening right now? I gaped in horror and shrieked, "That idiot!" This just had to be a dream. "W-what the heck does he think he's doing?"

Calm as always, Hotaru continued to eat at her yogurt. "Interesting… I wonder why they're both here on campus."

I pulled at my hair, trying my best not hyperventilate while breathing. "I have to go stop them before they do something stupid."

At that moment, my legs began moving on their own as I stalked off towards the direction of the two rock star idols. I could not believe this crap right now, I mean, seriously! It felt like de ja vu all over again back to when Natsume had stormed into my job, kidnapping me and forcing me into a sudden date.

Tsubasa was still making a scene, calling my name aloud throughout the cafeteria. "Yoo-hoo! Where are you? Mikan Saku─"

"Tsubasa!" I exclaimed after finally pushing my way through the crowd of screaming girls as I gripped him by the arm. "W-what's going on? What the hell are you two doing here at my school?"

Not at all fazed by my _"I'm so going to kill you,"_ narrowed glare, Tsubasa grinned back excitedly.

"Oh, there she is! You see, Youichi," he said, turning to look at the silver-haired young man beside him. "I told you that if we call her out like this that she'd come."

Youichi sighed with a shake of his head. "Idiot…"

I exasperated a sigh, fighting back the many cursing swears behind my tongue. "You guys…! Why are you two−?"

"Hey, isn't that Mikan?"

Uh-oh…

I tensed suddenly with my shoulders scrunching up to my neck.

At that moment, I took notice of all the hateful glares and malevolent scowls being shot in my direction. It was then that I realized that my hand was gripping a little _too_ tight around Tsubasa's arm, whereas we practically looked like a couple.

One of the girls narrowed her eyes after taking a good look at my face. "Yeah, you're right, it is her. Does she know the members of Jet R3D? I'm so jealous!"

"Get away from Tsubasa-sama and Youichi-sama!" another girl yelled at me.

I flinched in response to an empty milk carton being thrown at my head and groaned. "Oh, no, this isn't looking too good…" Quick ─ I had to think of something quick. I pulled on Tsubasa's arm and gestured my head to Youichi while saying, "Come on you guys. Let's get out of here."

**.**

I stood leaning against the side of my dresser with both arms folded over my chest. My eyes bore holes at the two handsome idols that were busy scrutinizing the order and appearance of my dorm-room.

Giving a small sigh, I asked, "Now… why are you two here, again?"

Youichi's nose wrinkled in disgust at the sight of one my Mick Jagger posters before he turned to look at me. "Natsume-nii asked us to come," he replied impassively.

I arched a brow, surprised to hear the name. "N-Natsume did? Why, what for?"

Tsubasa laughed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He pulled out a medium-sized envelope and handed it to me with a wink. "He wanted us to give you this."

"For me?" I asked, skeptical of what was inside.

After tearing open the envelope, I pulled out a small piece of paper with bold inscriptions that read: For You. Attached to the paper was a metallic red ticket with the name, Jet R3D imprinted in gold letters.

I almost shrieked. "This is…!"

Tsubasa grinned smugly. "It's a special invitation to the summer suite resort that Jet R3D is hosting. Only those with a free ticket can get in, and it's _really_ hard to win them in contests. But you've got one free of charge. Pretty cool, right?"

My heart skipped a beat as I stared at the red ticket in my hands. This was so…cool! "I don't understand," was my soft muttered response. I shook my head in disbelief. "W-what… Why did Natsume send you two all the way to my school just to give me an invitation?"

"He said that it would be more of a surprise," Youichi answered blandly while scouring through my alphabetized order of Justin Beiber CD's. He shrugged and added, "Supposedly, you'd be surprised to see two familiar faces from a famous rock band, I don't know. By the way, why do you have so many Beiber CD's?"

I ignored his sarcastic dry tone and thought over the facts that were happening right now. All of the pieces of the puzzle started gluing together in my head. So, maybe this was the big 'surprise' that Natsume was talking about from last time…

A small smile thinned at my lips as I thought about my boyfriend. So, he didn't forget to send me an invitation after all. "Natsume…"

"Mikan!"

The sudden calling of my name came about behind the door along with the sound of increasing footsteps.

That voice… I know that voice. It was Sumire's voice! Oh, no, this wasn't good. Please tell me that she seriously wasn't about to come barging in my dorm right now. Not now!

3…

2…

1…

_**Bam!**_

"Mikan!" The door busted open, revealing a girl with green hair. Her dark green eyes focused on me as she squealed, "Did you hear! I just found out that two members from Jet R3D came to our school, and their…"

Her voice suddenly trailed off as she took in the faces of my two handsome guests. Eyes widening like saucers, she stared back in awe with her jaw dropping low.

"S-Sumire!" I panicked, not sure what to do.

Tsubasa nudged me in the arm, pointing at the green-haired girl who was caught in a daze. "Who's that?"

Youichi stopped rummaging through my order of CD's and arched an inquisitive brow. "She's drooling at the mouth…"

Sumire's head slowly shook in disbelief, astonished by what she was seeing. "No… way…!"

I mentally cursed to myself, wishing that this scene would just skip to the next chapter or something. Wow, just how indescribably _weird_ could this day get? If this keeps up, I might lose all sanity.

"I think I'm going crazy…"

**-(Preview)-**

"**You've got ten minutes to explain, Sakura." **

This surprise was unexpected. There was no telling what was going to pop up next.

…_What the hell did she say?_

"**N-Natsume's…ex-girlfriend?"**

**.**

Thank you all so much for reading! And special thanks to **anon, mxnlovely, and mkjc** for the awesome reviews. Gracias muy mucho, everyone!

Quick response to **SilentVanilla**: I plan on going back and forth with the POV's as the plot develops. So you can expect there to be a lot more Natsume POV chapters to come.^^


	4. Pop Stars and Popping Surprises

**Disclaimer: **Noooo.

**.**

**Rania- **Pop Pop Pop

**Chapter 4: Pop Stars and Popping Surprises**

**.**

**Mikan**

"Two fluff puffs that she goes to A&F."

The words came out of my mouth easily, and I felt confident with a smug grin thinning at my lips.

Ready to hold up to my word, I opened up the metallic-pink bag of cotton fluffed candy to prove my point. Calm as ever, I awaited the next words to come from the raven haired girl beside me.

She appeared to be in thought for a brief moment while keeping her usual lukewarm expression. "Alright then… Five fluff puffs that she goes to the shoe store."

Ah… So she was going to go with that one, huh? I looked over to arch a brow at my best friend and smiled. "You sure about that one?"

Hotaru's violet eyes were unwavering as she stared back at me. She tapped the bag of fluff puffs. "Take it or leave it, Mikan."

The both of us were sitting side by side upon the edge of a fountain inside of the mall. Our eyes were focused on a certain girl with curly green hair. She was currently standing in front of two stores, her brows furrowed as she tried to decipher which would be her next stop.

Both Hotaru and I had unwillingly been dragged along with Sumire to the mall, and I swear that at least five whole hours had flown by since our arrival. She had been flying from to store to store, prancing like a lion on the prowl as she zoomed back and forth across from store to store. With nothing better to do, we decided that putting up a bet with fluff puffs on the line would release some boredom.

I watched through the few crowds of people as Sumire paced back and forth in front of her two favorite stores. Her footsteps came closer with each step towards Abercrombie & Fitch, and I just knew that the bet was mine.

"See?" I said, nudging Hotaru in the arm. "It's A&F in the end."

Hotaru snorted under breath, clearly trying not to show her frustration. "Just watch…"

Right when she said those words, Sumire's footsteps ceased as she made a pivot turn for the opposite store. Gawking back in disbelief, I could only watch in dismay as she decided to head for the shoe department versus what I had originally thought.

I grimaced while cursing under my breath, and unwillingly turned to look at my best friend. Her lips were thinned into a triumphant grin.

She held out her hand expectantly, and clicked her tongue. "Now, pay up."

"Damn Sumire," I muttered sullenly while giving Hotaru her desired pay of five pink fluff puffs.

Well, I guess that this punishment for waiting on Sumire to finish up her shopping was better than her giving me the silent treatment instead.

Ever since she had found out my big secret of dating her icon, and "future husband," Natsume Hyuuga, she never let a moment slide where I wasn't reminded of breaking the _'tell-friends-everything,'_ pinky swear.

I sighed, thinking back to the awkward moment where Sumire had come busting in through my dorm-room, surprised to find two handsome, celebrity band members.

Yesterday had been far from the word, crazy, after I found myself being forced into spilling the beans of my secret relationship. I could remember everything clearly…

**~.~**

My eyes widened in horror as I witnessed Sumire standing at the door with a dropped jaw. She almost looked like a ghost the way the color in her cheeks was sucked dry.

I stuttered unsuccessfully, "S-Sumire…" My heart practically stopped. "Um… L-look, I just…"

She ignored me. Her green eyes were focused on the two members of Jet R3D. "No way…" her voice whispered. Then almost like a howling siren, she suddenly gushed out, "No way, no way, no way!"

Her shrieking scream echoed all over the room causing everyone to cover their ears. Boy, could that girl scream. I had never seen her get so excited since the last time she had won an all-you-can-buy 50% off shopping spree.

"It's JET R3D!" she squealed, jumping while clasping her hands together. "No WAY!"

I looked over to Tsubasa who was tugging on my arm while pointing at the crazy girl. "H-hey, Mikan… Is she alri ─ OOF!"

He didn't get to finish. All at once, Sumire had come tackling him down to the ground like a pro NFL football player. "AH!" she cried, enwrapping her arms around Tsubasa's waist. "It's Tsubasa Andou in the flesh! I can't believe it!"

The poor guy tried to scratch at the floor and I could swear that I heard the sound of his ribs breaking. He choked and gasped out, "I… can't breathe…!"

I tried to help him up in which Sumire only pushed me away. It never occurred to me just how strong the woman could be…

Then next, her green eyes flashed over to the other handsome band member with silver hair. "Oh. My. GOSH! It's Youichi Hijiri ─ second hottest guy next to Natsume!"

Youichi was quick to be on the defense. He backed away slowly, doing his best to hide behind my back. "S-stay away from me," his monotone voice demanded.

Sumire heeded no warning as she tried to claw her way towards his direction while practically sandwiching me in the middle. Her high pitched lungs shrieked through my already bleeding ears as she screamed.

"Sumire!" I yelled, trying to protect Youichi's face and mine at the same time without falling. "Hey, come on, quit it. You'll really kill someone!"

Next, she looked at me with her fierce green eyes narrowed into a glare. "What's wrong with me trying to touch them?" she demanded. "I bet that you just want to keep them to all to yourself, Sakura."

"Look, Sumire, just calm down. I'm trying to explain if you would just listen."

Suddenly, a loud moaning groan came about. All heads turned to a half-dead Tsubasa crawling on the floor. He reached out a hand, moaning like a ghost as he crawled on the floor in pain. "Someone… help. Help me, please…"

Youichi sighed as he came over to give Tsubasa a kick to his stomach. "Hey, idiot. Get up."

"I cannot believe this," Sumire started slowly, redirecting her attention to me. "_The_ Jet R3D band members are actually in _your_ dorm room, Mikan!" She waved her hands and said, "H-how did you… Why…? What's going on? Don't tell me… Did you win a special ticket to the Jet R3D summer resort?"

I gulped. "Well, that is… If I said yes… would you try to kill me?"

"You've got ten minutes to explain, Sakura." She narrowed her eyes, folding both arms over her chest. "Now… What's going on? Why are two members of one of the most famous and hottest bands in the world hanging out in your dorm room?"

"Well, that's easy enough," Tsubasa said, grunting while limping himself up. "We came here to give Natsume's girlfriend her free ticket to the summer resort."

Sumire arched a brow, "Say what now?"

"Don't listen to him, Sumire," I quickly butted in as I tried to block Tsubasa out of her view. "That's not… Just hold on, I can─"

She pushed me out the way. "Repeat those words," she demanded.

Tsubasa sighed, "Look, both Youichi and I were told to come here to Mikan's school and give her a special greeting."

Youichi ruffled at his silver hair and nodded. "Natsume-nii wanted us to give his girlfriend a free ticket to the resort that we're hosting for the summer. He wanted it to be a surprise."

Sumire clicked her tongue. "So, let me get this straight. You're saying that _this_−" she pointed to me, "Mikan Sakura happens to be the girlfriend of _my _hot idol, and _future husband_, Natsume Hyuuga?"

Youichi and Tsubasa both looked at each other before blandly answering, "Yep."

I gulped after witnessing a pair of cold green being sent my way. Sumire stared back at me in disbelief. "That Natsume look-alike that you dated before… He was actually the real Natsume Hyuuga wasn't he, Mikan?" She placed both hands on her hips and demanded, "Is this true?"

"N-no, it's… Well, I mean it's… kind of all true?"

That was all it took for her to head straight for the door.

"Sumire!" I cried, trying to stop her. "Where are you going?"

"The pinky-swear, Sakura," she snapped, stopping to huff at me. "What happened to the 'best-friends-tell-everything,' pinky promise that you, Hotaru, and I made back in high school, huh?"

I groaned. "Ah, come on, Sumire, it's not like that. I was just scared what you─"

"I just knew that something fishy was going around here." Sumire shook her head in disbelief. "Every time that I saw you and Imai talking to each other by yourselves, I always noticed something weird was going on between you two. You guys… were holding off on me this whole time, weren't you? How do you plead?"

"Guilty," I answered swiftly and quickly added, "But that's only because─"

"Nuh-uh!" Sumire put a hand to my face as if to silence me. "I don't want to hear it, Sakura. You have pleaded guilty by breaking the pinky-swear, crossed the line by dating my husband (which I still don't get why he wants someone like you when he could've had me), and have shattered our trust. From now on, our friendship is over!"

"Sumire, why are you being like this?" I asked incredulously. "I've always tried to tell you the truth of how I was dating the real Natsume Hyuuga, but, you─" I gasped at the sight of her sorting through my alphabetized order of CD's. "Sumire, don't you dare take my One Direction CD!"

She held it up with an arched brow. "Oh, do you mean this same CD that I gave to you as a token of our friendship?" After snorting under her breath, she headed for the door. "Yeah, I think that I'll be taking it back now seeing as how you don't deserve it."

"Sumire, come on!"

"Well, this wasn't to be expected," Tsubasa sighed tiredly while witnessing the two of us bickering. "Now, what are we supposed to do with the extra free ticket to the summer resort?"

Suddenly, Sumire froze on the spot, her footsteps ceased, and she slowly craned her neck while asking, "Extra free ticket?"

Tsubasa nodded, holding up a red ticket. "Yeah, this baby was going to another lucky winner."

"Natsume-nii said that we were supposed to give Mikan Sakura a free ticket, and another one as well to one of her close friends," Youichi added plainly.

"Which changes things, seeing as how you two are no longer friends," Tsubasa said with a shrug of his shoulders. He clicked his tongue. "Ah, well, it can't be helped... I guess we'll have to throw it─"

"HOoold it up, right there!" In one quick swoop, Sumire had snatched the ticket out of Tsubasa's hand. "Who says that Sakura and I are no longer friends?"

My eyes narrowed. "You did…"

"Come on, Sakura," she laughed jokingly, swinging an arm over my shoulder. "You know how I always go through one of my 'drama queen' episodes. Sure, you kept a secret from me, but I'm not going to let that silly little thing ruin our precious friendship." She looked back to Tsubasa. "You did say the ticket was _free_, right?"

"Yeah, it's for one of Mikan's─"

"I'll take it!" Sumire squealed, jumping up and down like a kid in a candy store. "Oh, happy day ─ this is the best day of my life! My last day of school got me a free ticket to Jet R3D's summer resort where there will be tons of celebrities!"

I rubbed my arm and hesitantly asked, "So… you're not mad about the Natsume-and-I-are-dating, thing?"

"What the hell do you mean? Of course I'm still mad," came her sharp reply with narrowed eyes. She shrugged. "But that's nothing compared to what I'm going to find at the resort. I bet I'll find a much hotter guy out of all the celebrities when I get there."

Tsubasa snapped his fingers like he had forgotten something. "Did I mention that Natsume provided a special $6,000.00 shopping spree at that mall free of charge?" He rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a coupon. "At least that's what it says on─"

"FREE shopping spree!" Sumire exclaimed with her eyes bulging out of their sockets.

"She's got a lot of energy…" Youichi muttered blandly.

I nodded solemnly. "Tell me about it…"

**~.~**

Just reminiscing about what happened yesterday made me shudder. I never wanted to relive that scary moment with Sumire again…

"_That's right, folks! The famous band, Jet R3D is hosting their summer suite resort, starting today!"_

Hold on… Did someone just say Jet R3D…?

It was then that I noticed a flash of light stemming from off a giant TV screen hanging off of a wall. Curious, I walked my way over to get a better view of what was going on.

A huge TV ad was displayed in big, red bold letters on the screen as the narrator announced, _"Don't miss your chance at getting to hang with all of the hottest celebrities of the century!"_

Suddenly, a huge image of a beautiful brunette appeared on the screen. I gasped at the sight, taking notice of the strange fact that she… looked almost identical to me.

Aside from the fact that her hair was highlighted with blonde streaks, her brown eyes and facial features were much similar to mine. With my face practically glued to the screen, I gasped out, "Who is that?"

A highlighted banner popped up with a certain name written on it. _"Hot celebrities like the beautiful, Mikka Kanne, will be there to perform with legendary names like Natsume Hyuuga, Shiro Yamato, and more! Win your free ticket now!"_

I could feel my eyes sparkling in a daze. "Wow…"

"Hey, excuse me?"

Blinking back to reality, I turned my head to find a young woman looking at me. "C-can I help you?" I asked her.

She squinted her eyes as if scrutinizing my face and widened them with a nervous laugh. "Oh… I'm sorry." Rubbing the back of her neck, she bowed and said, "I'm afraid that I mistook you for someone else. You look exactly like Mikka Kanne."

I blinked and pointed to myself, "Mikka…Kanne? Me?"

She laughed again and waved while taking her leave. "Sorry about that!"

Well, that was odd… The thought lingered in my head a little longer as I turned back to the TV screen and studied the image of my look-alike. "She does kind of… look like me."

"What are you spacing out for this time?"

I turned around in surprise to find my best friend approaching me. "Hey, Hotaru," I started, pointing at the TV screen of the celebrity. "Does this… Mikka Kanne person look like me?"

Hotaru's purple eyes lazily trailed up to the screen and then shifted back to me. "Don't be stupid," she said, waving off the thought like it was crazy. "She's much too pretty to look like you."

"Hotaru…"

"I'm just kidding, idiot," she smiled, giving a light flick to my forehead. "You really need to stop being so sensitive. Of course you two look alike, but you stand out ten times more than she does."

"I do? How is that?"

"Well, for starters," Hotaru drawled, "you have a much better personality than she does. You have a light that separates you from other people, and you have a smile that can make people change."

"You really think that Hotaru?" I asked her, my eyes glistening with hope.

She snorted, "No, but it makes you feel good, right?" I felt my hope fading like I had just had an arrow shot straight through my heart. Hotaru grinned and pinched my nose. "I'm kidding again, stupid. You're a beautiful person, Mikan. Always remember that."

I tried to hide the sour glum on my face and looked back at the TV screen. "Mikka Kanne… That's her, right?"

"She's not all that special," Hotaru said, giving a light shrug of her shoulders. "Sure, she's pretty and has a unique personality, but that's just some of the good quirks to her. She has this thing that draws people to her, kind of like you. I guess that's why she and…" Her voice suddenly trailed off.

I arched a skeptic brow, obviously not satisfied with her leaving out the rest. "That's why she and what, Hotaru? What were you about to say?"

"…It doesn't matter," she replied impassively while heading into the shoe department. "I'm going to go get this other idiot of the store before we're late."

My eyes followed her as she walked away. Seriously, what was the point in starting a conversation if you weren't going to finish it? Oh, well…

Then suddenly, the loud vibrations of my ringtone erupted from my pocket. Curious, I pulled out my pink blackberry and answered, "Hello?"

"Hey…"

My eyes widened in surprise at the familiarly rugged voice. "Natsume!" I squealed excitedly.

I heard him laugh a little on his line. "You sound happy."

I chuckled and said, "Well, yeah, it's not often when my rock star boyfriend isn't busy enough to give me a call." Come to think of it… It's been a while since I last heard from Natsume.

His monotone voice replied, "Oh, sorry about that."

"So, what's up?"

"Nothing much," he replied bored. "Hey… what did you think of your surprise?"

My eyes rolled at the question. "You mean when Tsubasa and Youichi showed up on campus at my school?" I asked, laughing a little to myself. "Yeah, that was… really something. They gave me the free ticket to the summer resort. In fact, I'm with Hotaru and my other friend right now in the mall on that free shopping spree that you gave us. Thanks, by the way."

"Did you like it?"

I smiled at the hopeful tone in his voice. Was it wrong to say that I felt turned on by how sexy his voice could make me shudder? "I loved it, Natsume. And… thanks for giving me a free ticket to that summer resort. I'm so excited! I can't wait to see you there."

He remained silent for a while. "Oh… Yeah… I can't wait to see you there, too. But, anyway… did you really like your gift?"

"Of course, silly," I chuckled. "Didn't I just say that? I love everything that you give me."

He snorted through his line. "Man you sound like a freakish romantic… It's annoying."

My brows creased together at his cocky tone. "Your attitude is annoying, do you know that?"

Another snort came about."But that's what you love about me," he replied in a matter of fact tone. For some reason I could just picture him smirking on the other end of the line. "Am I right?"

I bit my lip, feeling my cheeks going hot. "Okay, I love your attitude… Happy?"

He laughed huskily. "Very." He paused for another moment. "By the way, did you go outside in front of the mall yet?"

I shrugged with a sigh. "No, not yet. I'm still with… Wait… Why would I need to go outside in front of the mall?"

A small sigh came about before Natsume muttered, "Idiot. Hurry up and go outside."

My brows furrowed together as I arched a brow and asked, "Is there a reason why I should step outside, Natsume?"

"I've got another surprise for you," he said simply. "It should save you the trouble from driving all the way to the resort."

"Another surprise?" I asked and laughed at the thought. "Wow, you sure like giving me surprises."

"Well, it's not like I'm giving it to you for free." He gave a click of his tongue. "I expect something in return… Do you still wear my favorite polka-dotted panties?"

I could just imagine Natsume having a devious grin on his lips. "Oh, wow, I should've known…" Giving up with another laugh I sighed and said, "I love you, Natsume."

"Don't act like I don't feel the same, idiot."

"So, I'll see you at the resort soon?" I asked him.

There was brief moment of silence before he spoke. "That… Yeah… you'll probably see me there…" For some reason, I didn't feel convinced. "I got to go now. I'll talk to you later."

Wait, he was already hanging up? "But─" I paused after hearing a click and looked at my phone. "Aw… He hung up already."

"Are you ready to go, Mikan?"

My head turned to find Hotaru coming out of the shoe store with a disenchanted expression. She had a hand securely attached to one of Sumire's wrists. I gawked at the many shopping bags in both of her hands. "Wow… That's a lot of stuff, Sumire."

She pulled away from Hotaru and snorted. "I had more, but Imai forced me to the register before I could get them off of the shelves."

I nodded and sighed, "Well, anyway, I just got a call from Natsume, and─"

"Natsume?" was Sumire's excited squeal of surprise as she interrupted me.

My eyes rolled in annoyance. "Yes, Sumire," I sighed, attempting to continue. "So, anyway, he wants us to go outside of the mall. Supposedly, he left another big surprise."

Both Sumire and Hotaru stared back at me with silent blank stares and I shrugged. Honestly, it wasn't like I knew what to expect either… There was no telling what was going to pop up next.

**.**

My jaw nearly dropped. "Wow…"

Sumire dropped all of her shopping bags. "Whoa…"

Hotaru blinked back in silence. "This is overrated…"

Parked right in front of the mall before our very eyes was a huge… no…a _massively_ huge metallic-black bus.

There were lights flashing all around with posters of the name, Jet R3D plastered on the side. People who were walking towards the mall stopped what they were doing to take a quick picture with their smartphones.

I smiled weakly. "It looks pretty… flashy, huh?"

"It's so cool!" Sumire squealed excitedly. "Do you know what this is? It's a celebrity tour bus! These are the type of buses celebrities use to travel around, this is awesome!"

Hotaru's eyes rolled. "How come every time you open your mouth, I feel like I need to hit you?"

Shrugging my shoulders, I took in a deep breath and said, "Well, I guess this is our transportation, girls." I gestured my head for them both to follow me as I walked towards the massive bus. "Alright, let's go."

We were only a few more inches away from the bus until the door swiftly opened. A beautiful woman with carmine-pink hair suddenly poked her head out of the bus and grinned, giving a peace sign with two fingers. "Hey there, girls! How's it going?"

Surprised by her sudden appearance I stifled back a scream and stared back at her with widened eyes. "Who…are you?"

Before the woman could even speak, here came Sumire, pushing me out of the way with another one of her gasping shrieks. She studied the woman and said, "Oh wow, you look just like the famous fashion designer, Misaki Harada!"

The pink-haired woman rubbed the back of her head and smiled. "Yeah, well… Maybe that's because I _am_ the famous fashion designer, Misaki Harada." Her lips pursed into a grin as she winked. "It's nice to meet you girls. Now, which one of you is Mikan Sakura?"

Both Hotaru and Sumire looked at me in which I hesitantly stepped forward, raising my hand. "Um, I'm… Mikan Sakura?"

Misaki's pink irises studied me from the bottom up before she released an excited scream. "Oh, wow, you're so cute!" she exclaimed, pulling me into a tight hug. "Tsubasa was right. The girl who stole Natsume's heart looks more adorable than I thought." She released me and looked over to the girl with coal-black hair. "Oh, hey there Hotaru. How's it going, girl?"

"Hey, Misaki," Hotaru greeted blandly while making her way onto the tour bus. "I take it that Tsubasa's been on the run for women again?"

Misaki snorted at the question like it was obvious. "You know him all too well…"

Following from behind Hotaru, I stared back at Misaki and asked, "You two know each other?"

She giggled and nodded. "Well, yeah, of course. You see, I'm a close friend of Ruka's, who's a close friend of Natsume, and so on and so on. We all go back to the good ol' days."

Wow… So, Ruka and Natsume happened to be friends with a famous fashion designer? The world of celebrities really is an amazing thing…

"That's so cool!" Sumire gushed out, nearly pushing me face forward onto the floor of the bus. "Hotaru, you knew so many famous people and you didn't tell us?"

Calm and collected as ever, Hotaru casually situated herself in a seat and pulled out a book from her bag. "What's there to tell? I get enough of your screaming idiocy for one day."

"Natsume asked for me to pick you guys up here at the mall," Misaki said simply while signaling everyone to take a seat. "He wanted me to give his special _girlfriend _a first-class ride all the way to the summer resort. Oh, and don't worry about your bags. All of your things are already at the hotel."

"Natsume did all this for me?" I asked, feeling like a princess being pampered with special treatment. It was definitely a first to see Natsume going out of his way for me like this. I had to admit that I felt… really special being his lucky girl.

Misaki smiled. "Yeah, of course he did. He must really love you, Mikan." She laughed and added, "I'll be staying at the resort too, by the way. Oh, this is going to be so much fun!"

"Have you ever driven a bus before, Misaki?" I asked her, arching a brow at how overly psyched she appeared to be.

She laughed, situating herself in the driver's seat and ignited the engine to the bus. "Eh… I did once," she admitted with a smile. "A long time ago, I told Natsume that if I never made it as a fashion designer, then I wanted to be a bus driver." She shrugged at my skeptic look and said, "It's just a small, silly fantasy I had as a kid way back then."

I smiled back weakly. So, a famous fashion designer had a dream of driving a bus back then… Interesting…

"Alright, girls, here we go," Misaki announced. "Buckle up and get comfy. Oh, by the way, there are some fluff puffs and snacks in the back cupboards if you guys want some."

As if on cue, Sumire dashed to the back towards the cupboards and started flinging out bags of snacks everywhere. Hotaru snorted, pulling out her IPod while putting on her headphones. I put on a silly grin, kicking my legs against the edge of my seat and sighed in satisfaction. This summer was already starting out pretty good.

My first trip started with a free shopping spree at the mall, I was travelling in style with two of my best friends, and I was going to be staying at a summer resort for two months with my rock star boyfriend. Life couldn't get any better.

I smiled happily to myself. "Here I come, Natsume!"

**.**

"Look! Look! Look!"

Sumire's voice of excitement practically filled the entire bus as she pointed out the window.

She pulled on my arm while saying, "There are so many limos and jet planes parked outside of the suite. Look, you guys!"

She was right.

I watched in awe at the sight of expensive sports cars, limos, and incredible private jets parked outside of the hotel suite. It was like witnessing something incredibly amazing right out of Dubai. I pointed on in amazement along with Sumire while gazing out the window.

Hotaru stared at the two of us and sighed, "Why did I decide to come again?"

"Alright, we're here, ladies," Misaki said as the bus gradually came to a good stop. "You girls go ahead and get in line to check in while I go park the bus, alright? I'll catch up with you guys later."

"Thanks, Misaki," I waved excitedly while making my way out.

Breathing in the welcoming fresh air of a wonderful day, I gave a good stretch of my arms and headed towards the suite. Sumire, Hotaru, and I made her way thoroughly through the parking lot and stopped short after witnessing what appeared to be a sea of people.

There were crowds of screaming bystanders shouting in excitement, squealing out names of their idols as celebrities passed them by. Cameras were flashing on and off to get a good snapshot of every star. It was like being at a red carpet premier or something.

Sumire gasped, "Oh, wow… There are so many people here."

"Well, this is a resort," Hotaru answered like it was obvious. "It's only natural that there would be a lot of guests."

After passing through the parking lot we made our way in line and waited to sign into the hotel. Rocking on the soles of my feet, I tried to poke my head over the few people who were standing in front of me. I turned to Hotaru and asked, "Do you think Natsume is in line too?"

"I doubt it," Sumire answered me. "Since his band is the one that's hosting the summer resort, he's probably already inside."

Hotaru tapped my back and pushed me forward. "The line is moving…"

At that moment, Sumire suddenly gasped out, "Oh, my gosh…!" She squealed, turning to me while pointing at a woman in front of her. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! We're standing right behind D.L. Park," she whispered excitedly.

I blinked back aloof. "…Who?"

"She's a famous actress, stupid," Sumire said, rolling her eyes. She gasped again. "And look! Right in front of her is the sexy French model, Henry Lareaux…! Oh my gosh! I have to touch one of them." As if acting crazy wasn't enough, the girl actually reached out to touch the hair of the woman in front of her.

"Sumire!" I scolded, giving a good pop to her hand. "Cut it out, or you'll get us kicked out before we even get inside."

As we waited out in the heating rays of the sun, at least fifteen minutes had come and gone.

The line continued moving and before I knew it, I was already at the front, just a few steps away from the hotel. The chauffer held out his hand. "Ticket please, madam."

I nodded, "O-oh, right…" It took a while as I started scourging through my bag for the tickets. "Hey… hold on… Where are they?"

"Is there a problem, madam?"

"N-no, there's not," I said, looking back at the chauffer with a weak smile. "I'm just… having trouble finding them, that's all." My brows furrowed together as I shook my bag in frustration. "I know it's in here somewhere…"

"What's taking so long?" Sumire sighed.

Giving her a hinted scowl, I mouthed through gritted teeth, "I can't find our tickets…"

"What?" she exclaimed, obviously not taking the hint for being quiet. "W-well… Look harder or something!"

"I'm trying!"

"I'm sorry, ladies," the chauffer said, tapping his foot at the ground. "But if you don't have your tickets, I'm afraid that I can't let you inside. Please step aside for other awaiting guests."

I stuttered out, "B-but I know it's in here somewhere… Natsume…" Wait… That was it! Natsume could help me! "Can you call Natsume Hyuuga for me?" I asked. "He's the one that gave me the tickets, so I'm sure that he'll─"

"Madam," the chauffer slowly started, scoffing under his breath, "I highly doubt that Mr. Hyuuga would waste his time on doing something so… _trivial_ for people of your kind. Now, please…" He gently pushed me to the side. "Step aside for the other awaiting guests. Next, please."

"I'm going on ahead," Hotaru said suddenly while brushing past my shoulder.

I gaped at her and said, "Hotaru! Hey, wait a minute, you're with us."

She looked back at me with her stoic purple eyes and arched a brow. "I'm sorry. But I'm only acquainted with those who brought their tickets for the resort."

"Ah, Miss Hotaru Imai," the chauffer greeted her with a bow. "It's a pleasure to see you again, madam. I do hope that Mr. Nogi is doing fine these days."

Hotaru nodded. "Of course," she said expectantly. She turned to look back at me and Sumire with a small grin. "See you guys around."

We could only watch on in silence at Hotaru's betrayal. Then again… this was nothing new.

"Oh! That stupid cold-hearted… ice queen!" Sumire said, stomping her foot to the ground. She turned to glare at me. "Now, what are we going to do, Sakura? Because of you, we can't get inside of the resort, which means I can't see any hot celebrities, which means I can't get a hot boyfriend!"

I bit my lip. "I… don't know. I…" There was no way I could see Natsume now… "I don't know what to do…"

"Um, excuse me…"

Surprised by the unfamiliar voice, I turned around to find a beautiful woman with long brown hair and blonde streaks standing behind me. She had a pair of shades pushed back over the top of her head and was dressed in a pink top and skinny-jeans.

My eyes studied her for a while as if she were a familiar face. For some reason, I felt like I had seen her before…

She smiled at me. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt you or anything… But I couldn't help overhearing that you guys couldn't find your tickets." Her brown eyes looked from me then to Sumire. "You're here to get inside of the resort, right?"

I nodded. "Huh? O-oh, y-yes, we are…"

She looked relieved. "That's great! I'm going inside of the resort as well." After flipping her brown bangs she smiled and said, "Tell you what. Do you two want to come inside with me? I can get you in for free even without your tickets."

"W-wow… That's so nice of─"

Sumire suddenly pushed me out of the way while asking, "You mean you can get us inside of the resort for free?"

The woman nodded. "That's right. You girls ready to go?"

Both Sumire and I hesitantly looked at each other, and then back to the woman before squealing out, "Yes!"

She gave us a hinted wink before walking up to the chauffer. "Hey there, Louis," she greeted casually. "I believe that my presence should suffice for my entrance." She gestured her head to me and Sumire while saying, "And I'll be inviting these two lovely ladies along with me, alright?"

The chauffer stared at us with widened eyes and hesitantly nodded. "Oh, y-yes ma'am, right away." He kindly obliged by making way as he bowed, "Please go on ahead."

Turning to give us thumbs up, the woman waved for me and Sumire to follow her inside. We passed by the chauffer and Sumire stuck out her tongue with a loud, "Ha!" It took everything for me not to laugh.

The inside of the resort was breathtakingly huge. There were many hallways leading to different parts of the suite, and tons of celebrities could be seen in every corner of the building. It felt like being in the city of Paris, France.

"Oh my gosh!" Sumire exclaimed, squeezing my hand tightly. "I'm inside of the celebrity resort! Ah!" Then all too soon, the crazy woman took off while screaming away.

I rolled my eyes. "There she goes…"

Laughing at the sight, the woman with blonde highlights extended a hand to me and smiled. "Well, I'm glad that you two were able to get in. That was a piece of cake, right?"

I completed the handshake in gratitude. "Thank you so much for your help."

She flipped her highlighted tresses in a way that made her look like a movie star. "No problem at all," she said while waving me goodbye. "See you later!"

I watched in silence as she took her leave. Really, there was something… awfully familiar about that woman that I just couldn't pin out.

"Hey, Mikan!"

I turned my head at the calling of my name. "Hey, Misaki! You finally made it in?"

Misaki came running up to me and said, "Yeah, it just took a while to find a good spot in the parking lot. Oh!" She looked over my shoulder and smiled. "I just saw you talking to Mikka Kanne. Do you two know each other?"

"Eh? Mikka…Kanne?"

I let the name settle in my head. After five long seconds, I gasped, finally coming to conclusion of the name. Mikka Kanne was the same name that I had seen on the TV screen at the mall…!

"Mikka Kanne?" I asked Misaki again to confirm things.

"Well, yeah," Misaki answered with a shrug. "Didn't you know? She's a really famous pop idol, and Natsume's ex-girlfriend."

…_What the hell did she say?_

"Say what?" It couldn't be… "N-Natsume's…ex-girlfriend?"

"Well, it looks like you two seem to like each other," Misaki shrugged. She snapped her fingers as if remembering something. "Oh, hey come on, we have to find Sumire and Hotaru so we can check into our rooms. Come on, I have our room keys and everything."

Instead I remained frozen still like a deer caught in headlights. It just couldn't be…

It took five silent counts of blank staring, two blinks, before I shrieked out, "What!"

**-(Preview)-**

"**Wow, not bad…"**

I was shocked, not because of the fact that I finally realized that I was no longer alone, but because of the nostalgic face that was now standing before me.

I parted my lips to speak, allowing my dry tone of indifference to seep through. **"What are you doing here?"**

**.**

Asdfjglk Natsume's mysterious ex-girlfriend finally shows up! Oh no!

I know this chapter was kinda long, right?^^ (Natsume's POV is up next!)

Thanks for reading! Don't forget to leave a review. :)


	5. Hello, Again

**Disclaimer: **Story is mine. That is all.

Note: The songs that Natsume are singing in this chapter are not real; meaning, I made the words up myself, so they will not be counted as 'lyrics.' Thank You. :)

* * *

**.**

**MBLAQ- **Hello My Ex

**Chapter 5: Hello, Again**

**.**

**Natsume**

"Alright, guys, let's hit it again from the top."

Ready for another practice session, I finished playing the last melody from the strings of my guitar and sighed in discontent.

It wasn't enough. If the band and I planned on giving a good performance for the night of the summer resort, then it would take a few more tries before I felt satisfied in hopes of getting a better sound.

I snapped my fingers for everyone's attention. "Come on, let's try again."

Two loud groans responded along with a muttered curse of breath.

Hanging over his drums like a mortified zombie, Koko whined, tapping his drumsticks at his head. "Aw, come on, man. This is like… the third GA-zillionth time that we've went over this. I'm tired."

Andou chipped in with another tired moan. "I'm with Yome on this one, dude." He sighed, cradling his guitar like he was holding the curves of a woman. "I'd much rather be hanging out with a hot chick right now instead of practicing a song that we already know."

Great… Here we go again, the annoying complaints of band members.

I clicked my tongue, turning my head to look at the two lazy fools. "Get the hell up," was my reprimanding tone of indifference. "We've got a song to rehearse for the opening night of the resort. Tonight, a lot of people will expect Jet R3D to hold up to its reputation for being the hottest band of the century."

The only responses that I received were muttered swears and a roll of the eyes. Rather than following my directions and pumping themselves back up, they remained still while whining like weak little wimps. These stupid idiots… They were always so lazy when it came to rehearsal.

I strummed the strings to my guitar aloud to prove my superior right as band leader. The impacting sound echoed throughout the room loud enough for all of our eardrums to start bleeding. "Get up," I repeated.

Koko perked up over his drums, covering his ears with his eyes closed in pain. "Ah, damn! Come on, Natsume!"

Not expecting my cruel and merciless act, Andou immediately scrambled up to his feet and put a hand to his chest. He inhaled in and out rapidly as if trying to catch a good breath of air. "Dude," he panted out, "that was uncalled for…"

I rolled my eyes at the lazy fools and directed them to get ready for another round of rehearsal. These idiots were always like this. Seriously, what did you expect to do when you're in a famous band?

"You'll get your chance to do all the womanizing that you want for later, Andou," I replied dryly. Next, I peeled my eyes over to the other band member who was sitting in a chair with a swimsuit edition of _Sports Illustrated_ _Magazine_ covering his face. Giving a small shake of my head, I snapped my fingers and sighed, "You too, Youichi. Let's go."

He stirred in his sleep before peeking from up under his magazine and lazily opened one eye to look at me. Tussling at his silver hair, he sighed and unwillingly sat back up to prepare himself in front of his keyboard.

Giving a stretch of his arms, he yawned and nodded. "Alright, I'm up…"

After seeing that everyone was ready, I clapped my hands aloud before clearing my throat. "Let's run it again at least twice, and see how it goes, alright?" Signaling Koko to start up the count with his drums, I tapped my foot to the beat of the tempo and snapped my fingers for Youichi and Andou to begin playing.

Everyone started out great while playing in sync from the drums, to the keyboard, and then to the guitar. The mellow was full. The sound was great. Everything was smooth, connected, and my lips were ready to let my magic work.

"Give me a minute, I…

I need to get this picture right.

My lover she's on the phone, trying to start up another fight.

My friends are busy getting drunk from right across the bar.

My spot's been taken by some hotshot talking big about his car, and−"

"Kyaa! Natsume-sama, you're so SEXY!"

"Youichi-sama, Tsubasa-sama, Koko-chan! I LOVE YOU!"

Everything was nearly perfect… up until the screeching sound of catlike screams started interrupting my good vibe.

I groaned tiredly. "Oh, hell…"

Standing in a small group in the middle of the room, three models were huddled together, screaming at the top of their lungs in excitement. They waved their arms in the air, squealing like rabid fan-girls and it was a miracle that they didn't trip with how much they were jumping in their high heels.

One of them had black hair and purple highlights with a chest that… didn't look half bad, but wasn't too big, either. I bet that even Mikan had a better looking bust than she did. "Natsume-sama!" she cried, gasping after seeing that my eyes were locked onto her. "You have such an amazing voice! I love you!"

Her two fellow models were currently taking pictures of the band and I with their camera phones. They approached the stage, begging for us to take a photo with them while shrieking excitedly.

I scratched at my head in frustration with a sigh, realizing full well that any chances for getting another good rehearsal in was limited. Hell, this is why I didn't want to hold a practice session inside of the hotel in the first damn place…

"Alright, we'll stop here," I said, signaling all of my fellow band members to stop playing. "Let's go ahead and take a break."

Those words were like sweet music to Koko's ears as he jumped up while screaming, "Yes! It's break time! Woohoo!"

Andou loosened up the collar to his shirt with a sigh of relief. "Finally, just what I needed." He stretched out his arms before setting down his guitar while giving a good pop to his neck. "Well, I guess that I should go give our lovely ladies down there a picture or two. Man, I'm excited to see what other pretty faces we've got here at the summer resort."

Rising up from his chair with a small snort, Youichi added, "You do know that Misaki is supposed to be showing up here at the resort too, right?" He pulled out a piece of chewing gum before placing it in between his parted lips as he arched an amused brow. "Do you think that she'll like seeing you flirt with other women?"

I fought back a small grin as I watched Andou stop dead in his tracks, tensing his shoulders while slowly craning his neck to look back at Youichi. "You're… kidding."

"Oh, that's right," Koko added, raising his hand like he had just solved an answer to a problem. "I forgot that you and Ruka decided to invite Misaki too, Natsume. Isn't she like really close friends with you guys or something?"

Andou gasped before shooting his blue eyes in my direction. "You traitor…"

I shrugged like it wasn't a big deal. "What? She wanted to come, so Ruka and I gave her a free ticket."

That didn't settle well with Andou. "You know that Misaki can't stand it when I talk to other girls!" He freaked out, scratching at his black hair in frustration and cursed under his breath. "Misaki and I have been best friends since high school and she's always hated it when I started flirting with other women. She pins me up by the ear, glomps me on the head, and then she…"

His eyes widened in horror as if he was reminiscing back on a dark past. After coming back to realization, the oddball started muttering small curses with a shake of his head.

He made an X sign with his arms and said, "Nuh-uh, no way. No. I'm not gonna stop having fun just because she's here. Not this time. Nope. It doesn't matter if Misaki's here, because I'm going all out this summer." His eyes flickered over to the still squealing models by the stage and a wry grin thinned at his lips. "And I think… I'll start right now."

My eyes rolled at the idiot as he jumped off of the stage to join the group of beautiful women. He wrapped a hand around one of their waists, pulling her to his chest and turned to shoot a wink in my direction.

Youichi snorted at the scene. "I'm going to the bathroom," he drawled picking up his unfinished can of cola.

I nodded and situated my guitar on the floor. "We'll meet back up in fifteen minutes," I called aloud, making sure that he and Andou got the message. They both waved me off with their hands as they left.

Well, this was great. The fact that pretty much all of my band members were lazy enough to skip out on practice made me feel lethargic, and I couldn't help but want to get a good break, too.

Whipping off my leather jacket, I discarded it to the floor, scooped up a bottle of water, and made myself comfortable while sitting at the edge of the stage. The fresh feeling of cool air brushed up against the skin of my chest ─ pure bliss after having singing my ass off in black leather.

After letting the taste of crisp, cool water dowse my tongue, I pulled out my red blackberry and immediately started scrolling through the screen for a certain name.

I couldn't help but smirk a little to myself at the thought of a certain brunette. "I wonder what Polka-dots is up to…"

There was a small spark of adrenaline rushing through me as I scoped through my phone, hoping to see if my girlfriend had left a trace of any missed calls or messages. Then next, the feeling of suspense fleeted me almost immediately, and instead, developed into frustration as I narrowed my eyes at an empty inbox.

There weren't any new messages or voicemail underneath Mikan's name; something that seemed to piss me of internally… and I don't know why.

_What the hell is up with her?_

Chewing on the inside of my cheek, I had to hold myself back from cursing off the wall as I checked my phone, studying the given time. It was way past two o' clock.

She should already be here at the resort by now… And if she did, then that ungrateful little girl should've at least let me know if she made it inside okay. I should at least have a few damn messages telling me how much of an awesome boyfriend that I was for getting her into a luxury suite for free or… at least _something_ around those lines.

Oh crap, here goes this antsy feeling again…

I cursed under my breath before shoving my phone back into my pocket. Well, if she was waiting on me calling her first, then she'd better guess again. I'd just sit back and relax until the idiot decided to make the first move. I mean, hell, she had always been the type to never answer her damn phone in the first place…

My mind was so wrapped around on me thinking about Mikan, that I didn't even hear the sound of footsteps walking up beside me.

"Hey, Natsume, I've been wondering about something, lately…"

Giving a sigh, I unwillingly turned my attention up to the sight of spiky brown hair. "What is it, Koko?"

Koko laughed at the unfriendly tone in my voice and found a seat beside me. He nudged me in the arm and asked, "Didn't you invite that Mikan girl to the resort, too?"

One of my brows rose at the sudden question. "…Why do you care?"

His copper brown eyes lit up excitedly. "I want to meet her!" he exclaimed. "I've been wanting to meet her for the longest, and then Tsubasa told me that she invited Hotaru and one of her other friends to come, too. Who's her other friend, huh? What's she like?"

I shrugged uncaringly. "Like hell I know."

"Do you know what room Mikan will be staying in?"

"Nope."

"Do you plan on meeting up with her soon?"

"I don't know."

"Are you guys planning on hanging out later, then?"

Grunting in annoyance, I turned to the talkative fool and growled out, "Why do you keep asking so many damn questions?"

He blinked back twice aloof for a good moment and slowly pursed his lips into a smug grin. "Did you two have a fight or something? You look upset after looking at your phone."

I growled, ready to knock the stupid fool out with a punch of my fist. He dodged my first throw, wincing in pain from the second blow and laughed nervously.

"Chill man, chill," Koko muttered, rubbing his now bruised arm. "I was just joking." He arched an amused brow with a small snort. "By the way, does your girlfriend know about your secret? About how you always go to sleep at night with a−"

"Fuck off," I warned him, throwing my water bottle at his head.

He laughed again, grinning in response to my irritated scowl and folded both hands neatly behind his back. Just two strides would be enough to wipe off the goofy grin that was now widening from the corners of his lips.

In the end I decided to let the idiot off easily this time, waving him away with my hand in which he smiled. He picked up his two drumsticks from off of the floor, skipped his way down the steps of the stage, and just before walking out of the door, yelled back, "Natsume sleeps with a stuffed animal!"

My jaw tensed after hearing the doors slam shut. "I'll kill him…"

Stuffed animal, my ass… If it weren't for the thought of Mikan's obsession with toy plush puppies, I would have thrown the damn stuffed dog away a long time ago.

Besides, I have a motive behind keeping the annoying thing. The only reason that I sleep with a stupid stuffed animal in the first place is because… Hell, it didn't even matter right now. For whatever reason, I was too pissed off to add any more unnecessary stress to my shoulders.

Hoping to release some steam, I reached for my guitar and plucked a few strings. Maybe playing a small song might help relieve the unwanted tension inside me.

Luckily, there wasn't anyone in the room at this time, so I had the free time to sing aloud to myself for a good while. I strummed a few notes on my guitar while trying to think up a good mellow tune to play and exhaled slowly before singing.

"Every now and then, I think of all the times we shared together…

I remember once, you said that you wanted to share your life with me

I thought that we were meant to be

But I realized that it was just sympathy

You called it love, and it's a burden that I still remember…"

The mood was great. Every smooth, legato melody that I plucked from each string brought forth a wave of tranquility. All of the tension within my shoulders was gradually decreasing.

This is what I lived for: Music ─ the reason that I was still here, the light that helped me to see through the dark negatives of my life. I strummed the strings of my guitar and was just starting to get into the feel of the song, until suddenly…

"Wow, not bad."

The sound of hands clapping together echoed aloud throughout the room.

Surprised by the new presence, I nearly plucked out a string from my guitar. Words couldn't describe how pissed off I was right now after having been interrupted. I looked up at the intruder, ready to unleash the many swears that was just itching to get out from under my tongue, but froze on the spot instead. My heart skipped a beat with my lips parting into a gasp.

I was shocked, not because of the fact that I finally realized that I was no longer alone, but because of the nostalgic face that was now standing before me.

A rushing feeling of adrenaline flooded throughout my fingers and then all the way down to my legs. As much as I didn't want to be, I felt perturbed just by seeing the face of an old ghost from my past.

Looking at her now as she stood standing in the middle of the floor, I could tell that nothing much has changed. Her appearance looked the same, other than the fact that she had blonde streaks highlighted within her auburn hair.

Her brown eyes were round, blazing bright underneath the light. Her lips were thinned into a genuine smile, and I couldn't help but notice her transparent top and dark jeans which were hugging every part of her sensual curves.

I swallowed slowly, having to stop myself from thinking of sinful thoughts in the back of my mind. But I'd be lying to myself if I didn't find her to be attractive. Even after years of not seeing her face, she still looked… beautiful.

Still, what the hell was she doing here right now? What made her appear before me right out of nowhere?

Hoping to hide the amount of shock on my face, I let my expression slowly settle back into a blank stare while trying to appear indifferent. "You…"

She added a small flip to her hair, keeping the same angelic smile to her face while clacking her heels over to the stage. "Well, you're really something, huh?" she said, folding both arms casually behind her back. A small sigh transcended from the corners of her lips. "Your voice still sounds so melodic and soft like always. I'm pretty envious, Natsume."

There were so many thoughts racing in the back of my mind. Though I wasn't showing it, I was nervous, tense, and didn't know what the hell to do.

My stance went rigid and my jaw tense after hearing my name stem off from her voice, something that she used to make me do whenever we were together. Something… that only happened whenever I was around Mikan.

I felt pathetic. This situation wasn't to be expected, and I damn sure didn't expect to see her face right here and now.

Yet here she was ─ smiling away like the sun was beaming down on her face. The sight of her angelic smile almost made me forget the bitter hatred that I still held for her inside of my heart.

…Almost.

I parted my lips to speak, allowing my dry tone of indifference to seep through. "What are you doing here?"

She arched one of her brows. "That's a silly question, don't you think?" I frowned, evidently upset with the hinted sarcasm and she chuckled. "Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you."

"Hn…" I decided to ignore her.

Hoping to put up a giant wall between us, I resumed to playing my guitar, plucking the strings while trying to think up a song to focus on. But hell, it was hard to focus period when you had your _**ex-girlfriend**_ staring at you with a stupid smile on her face. Part of me wanted to look at her, but I held myself back and stayed silent, wanting… wishing that she'd just disappear.

"Is it okay if I sit beside you?" Her soft voice was meek, hesitant as she placed a hand on the edge of the stage. Both her eyes connected with mine as if asking for my consent.

I grunted, giving a small shrug of the shoulders. She smiled back at the given silent treatment, not at all minding the tense aura that was practically choking our breathing air as she situated herself next to me.

There was a faint scent of strawberries that whipped throughout the air as she swung the tresses of her blonde streaks over her shoulder. I felt myself stiffen on edge and mentally cursed to myself, unconsciously licking my lips. For some odd reason, the sweet smell reminded me so much of Mikan…

The woman beside me turned to look at me with a smile, kicking her legs back and forth against the edge of the stage. "You know, it really shouldn't be a surprise to see me, since a lot of celebrities decided to come to this resort." She tilted her head to the side, letting her brown bangs fall over her lashes. "Didn't you know that I'm here to perform for the upcoming events? I'm an honored guest just like you."

"That right?" I snorted, strumming the strings of my guitar. "I guess I missed that part."

She was quiet then, and I could feel her staring at the side of my face without even having to look up at her.

"You're mad…"

I nearly plucked another string out of my guitar when she said that and turned to finally face her. "What the hell do I have to be mad about?"

"You see?" she giggled playfully, giving a light poke to my nose. "I'm right, aren't I? Every time you try to lie, you make that sour scowl with your brows creasing together. It's priceless."

I felt myself stiffen again after hearing the sound of her voice. Her laughter sounded like bells ringing… something that I hadn't felt in so long since the time that I had first heard Mikan laugh.

Why… was this woman here? Was she here make me feel tormented over a past that I could never have back?

My brows furrowed together as I thought to myself, trying to fit every piece of this obscure puzzle of the woman that I swore to hate forever. She was the woman that I resented most. She was the woman that took a part of me with her when she left. She was… the woman that haunted me in the back of my mind. Why was she here?

Her laughing stopped as she studied the frustrated frown on my face. She smiled somberly, tugging at the sleeve of my shirt. "Please don't be mad, okay? I just wanted to talk to you a little, that's all."

I opened my mouth to speak but closed it with second thoughts. "…Why are you here?"

"I just said that I wanted to talk to you," was her simple response with a shrug of her shoulders. "Is that a crime?" She grinned. "Or do I need a pass as another fan-girl for trying to talk to the sexy, Natsume Hyuuga?"

Damn her stupid mind games. The cunnings of women were still an unsolved mystery. It was like playing cat and mouse, and I sure as hell wasn't going to play my part as her fool. Not again.

I snorted, brushing off her stupid act of innocence while strumming a few notes on my guitar. It was really hard trying to think up a key to play. My fingers were too tense, rigid, and felt frozen at the tips.

"Why are you here?" I attempted to try again without looking at her.

She scooted a little closer to me while saying, "I heard that Jet R3D was rehearsing for tonight's opening act for the resort, and… Well, after getting situated in my hotel room, I just wanted to see a familiar face, that's all. I've heard that you and your band are really good."

A familiar face… right…

"You've become a lot more popular these days, you know," she laughed a little to herself. "I remember how beautiful you used to sing ─ the coat of velvet lathered within your voice. It always sounded like silk, and every woman who heard you sing would grovel at your feet."

I raised one of my brows with a click of my tongue. "Every woman except you…"

"Yeah," she added with a snort, and I looked over to see her wink at me with a smile. "I was one of those rebel girls who was unaffected by your playboy charms."

Pretending to ignore her, I returned my attention back to plucking a few strings from my guitar. I could feel her eyes watching the every move of my hands, almost magnetic like a moth drawn to a flame.

"You still have the guitar that I gave you from way back then."

My fingers flinched at the next note as she said those words, and my jaw went tense. "It just stuck with me," I muttered irresolutely. Feeling her eyes flicker over to me, I looked away and added, "Don't think too much into it."

"I'm just happy that you decided to keep it." I didn't even have to tell that she was smiling. The happiness in her voice was so damn evident that I couldn't stop my heart from contracting. "You used to love making the girls scream out your name while playing your guitar." She laughed and said, "Or 'making love to your guitar,' as you so used to put it."

That was it. Unable to sit back any longer, I decided that it was time to leave. "If you don't have anything else to say," I sighed, lifting myself up from off of the floor, "then I'm going on ahead. I have to start looking for the rest of my band members."

Her eyes followed my every move, watching me, studying me as I faced my back to her while pulling the strap of my guitar over my shoulder. I willed myself not to glimpse a catch of her face as I made my way down the steps of the stage.

I chewed a little on my tongue, willing myself not to release my breaking point. Hell this was becoming too much. I definitely wasn't expecting any of this to happen.

It felt as if I were dreaming as I walked while stepping one foot at a time in front of the other. My mind was so dazed by the many collided thoughts that were in the back of my mind that I didn't even notice a small hand catching me by the arm.

"Natsume, wait."

Before I knew it, she was there at once, her soft fingers curling into my skin as she stared back at me with pleading eyes.

Keeping my back faced to her, I decided to stop, wishing that I hadn't. But the sincere warmth and insistency within her voice caused me to cease, anyway.

She sighed, coming closer to me while slowly releasing her hold to my arm. "I… I know that you don't really want to see me. Actually," she laughed under her breath, "I'm probably the last person that you wanted to see."

I released a frustrated sigh of my own, finally deciding to face her, feeling my wall of restraint collapse. "And what the hell made you think that, Mikka?" was my reprimanding tone embedded with sarcasm.

The roughness of my voice was rugged, rasped even as I spoke. The moment her name left my lips, I almost had to gasp at my fatal mistake, but cleared any hint of hesitancy by grabbing her chin in between my fingers.

She flinched back, not expecting the bold move. I locked my eyes into her honey orbs, holding her chin in place as I neared my face closer to hers. A hint of fear flickered within her eyes, and then settled into curiosity as we stared back at each other for a silent count of five seconds.

"What made you think that, Mikka?" I repeated again in a low, dry whisper.

Her lips opened to speak. "…You−"

"What, is it because we haven't seen or heard from each other in years?" Her eyes closed with a wistful smile as I continued spitting out my bitter resent. "Is it because after what happened between us, I swore to myself that I'd never talk to you again? Is it because you made me feel like shit, making my heart a mess, scattering it into pieces, and making me look like a fool? Or is it all of the above? Take your pick."

Slowly, she opened her eyes, prying my hand away from her chin while caressing my fingers. "Would it anger you if I told you the same thing that I said to you way back then?" she asked, running light traces over my skin that made me shudder. "If I told you that… I'm sorry?"

I could feel her trance taking over me as she stared back into my eyes. For whatever reason, I just… remained still. Without moving, I allowed her to close what little space was left between us as she took two small steps forward.

A smile pursed at her lips, almost teasing as she brushed a few of my raven bangs away from my face. "I'm desperate to connect with you, Natsume. You'll be seeing more of me, whether you like it or not, you know. We're staying under the same roof, after all."

There was a hint of amusement and hope within her voice as she said those words. I could almost taste her scent on my tongue, breathing in the nostalgic scent that used to drive me mad.

"You're angry with me," she snorted, chuckling a little to herself, "but you don't hate me. I can see it in your eyes." She shrugged, smiling ever so softly. "You're always so stubborn."

Her voice… It was so similar to Mikan's loving voice. Everything about her… was so similar to Mikan. I hesitated a little more, loving the feel of her soft hand as it caressed the side of my face.

This was strange. I shouldn't be acting so familiar with this woman… Only Mikan was the one who could console me while cupping the side of my cheek. After all, she was the one who allowed me to breathe again. She was the one whose voice broke away through my guarded shell and had won my heart.

I felt my body go rigid at the thought. Mikan… I wanted to see her…

Suddenly, the face of a certain brunette flashed throughout the back of my mind, and my eyes flickered open. Feeling the faint ball of hostility building up within me again, I pushed away from the woman whose eyes were studying my every move.

Damn this woman… She was winning again ─ always playing games with my feelings. I hated and… at the same time loved that about her.

"I've got to go," I demanded irritably, breaking the silence between us.

I didn't even bother to witness the look on her face as my shoulder turned with my back faced to her. There were a thousand thoughts rummaging in the back of my mind as I made my brisk strides for the door.

Even after four long years of not seeing the same woman that had broken my heart, I still had so much afflicting pain built up inside of me. I held it all to her account, wanting her to drown in the same vehement pool of grief that her so called, 'love,' had left for me to endure.

_Damn her,_ I thought to myself. _Damn her for showing up like this in front of me…_

"Natsume."

I stopped short with my hand resting on the knob of the door. Without looking at her, I waited for the words to come.

There was a long pause before I heard her speak. "I'm glad to see you again. It's nice to see your face after all this time. You've always been something… that I've always treasured and kept close to my heart."

My heart contracted as she said those words.

_You idiot…_

Still refusing to look at her, I slightly tilted my head to the side while turning over my shoulder. "Yeah, well… I can't say that I feel the same."

"…I understand."

Before she could think up anything else to say, I twisted the knob and made my way out through the door before slamming it shut.

It was as if a relentless fire was burning rapidly inside of my chest. I walked down the halls, chewing on my tongue, mentally cursing to myself for being so weak in front of the woman that had broken my heart.

Her face, her eyes, her smile… Everything about her seemed like a faraway memory; a distant past of the enchanted times that we used to cherish together. Deep down within, there was some part of me that was desperate to connect with those tender loving memories, wanting to go back to how it used to be.

I smirked to myself, knowing how foolish I was for allowing those thoughts to even creep in the back of my mind.

Things were over with Mikka Kanne, the woman who rescued me from my juvenile ways; the woman who created a world where I could feel welcomed… the first woman to steal my heart.

My jaw tensed. My hands curled into fists. My breathing came out in heated pants, letting the bitter past memories transcend into hatred.

I wasn't going to play my part as her fool. The old Natsume was never going to come back. Those wretched days sitting in the dark are over now…

"I'm not going back…"

**-(Preview)-**

Aside from the fact that he had a handsome face, I took notice that the color of his hair was… white.

Hold on… White hair? Didn't I see someone with white hair once before?

I gasped, pointing in shock at the familiar face. **"Y-you…!"**

"**Well, hello, beautiful. I knew I recognized your pretty face."**

**.**

Special thanks to**: PatPatPat, Kim, Anime, and redrose1993 **for the awesome reviews. I couldn't message you guys, but I appreciate your support so much! And **Julie, **if you're reading this, your amazing reviews made me smile like an idiot.^^

So, Natsume's ex finally showed her face in front of him. His feelings are stirring in… different ways now, probably more complicated. Not good, Mikan!

I wonder if she'll be a threat to Mikan anytime soon. (I'm sorry, Mikan.) ;)

Thanks so much for reading! Don't forget to leave a review if you have the time.

**~pinkpocket23**


	6. A Shocking Suprise

**Disclaimer: **Nope.

**.**

**BEAST- **Shock

**Chapter 6: A Shocking Surprise**

**.**

**Mikan**

"I call dibs on the bed upstairs!"

That one dominant voice ringing with the utmost authority echoed throughout the room.

Sumire sprinted off like a wolf on the prowl as she climbed her way up towards a small balcony of stairs leading towards a queen-sized bed.

I watched in amusement as the woman pounced on her mattress, imagining the "_No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed,"_ theme song playing in the back of my mind.

We barely even made five steps inside of our appointed room and the girl was already claiming what was hers. But I could see why she would be so anxious to get started.

The room was unbelievably huge. Situated in the master living room, a giant Toshiba flat-screen was placed on the wall with a set of audio speakers.

Posters of Audrey Hepburn with other celebrity portraits were posted on the wall, and a really neat disco ball hung from just above the ceiling. There was even a cool decorative pink carpet leading off towards the many different rooms.

All in all… it was a very nice suite.

"Oh, hell…" Here came Hotaru lagging through the door with an evident look of disgust. She wrinkled her nose at the sight of pink. "This color is going to drive me insane. It's like bathing in a sea of cotton candy while choking down cupcakes."

"Hey, that's a great idea, Imai," Sumire yelled from the balcony as she continued jumping on her bed. "We should make cupcakes!"

One of Hotaru's brows twitched. "I'm going to strangle her when she goes to sleep…"

"Oh, come on, Hotaru, it's not that bad," I said, laughing at my best friend's irritable scowl.

Finding a comfortable spot on a bean-bag chair, I sighed in content, feeling relieved to finally be inside of the resort.

I could feel the tenseness in my muscles gradually descend, the dizziness in my head was no longer spinning, and the cushion from the bean-bag was pure bliss against my spine.

Aside from being lax and at peace, the inside of my heart was actually a mess.

The unsettling image of the beautiful Mikka Kanne continued to haunt me in the back of my mind. I kept repeating the words that Misaki had said to me just moments ago ─ the same words that felt like an earthquake rupturing inside of my chest.

"_Didn't you know? She's a really famous pop idol, and Natsume's ex-girlfriend."_

Natsume's ex-girlfriend…

Those two words continued to play in my head like the constant press of a replay button.

No matter how many times I tried to fight away the feeling of distrust along with a bitter sense of hate, I just couldn't help but think… No… I knew that Natsume was hiding something from me.

I bit my lip, closing my eyes in thought as I pondered over the facts.

Something… There was definitely something between the two ─ a clouded mystery that involved him and his ex-lover. What was so damn irritating was the fact that I just didn't know exactly what that something was.

"Mikan."

Hearing the calling of my name, I opened my eyes, slowly looking up at a pair of violet eyes.

Hotaru stared down at me with her usual lukewarm expression. "What are you moping about?" she asked almost bored. "Just a minute ago you had a goofy grin on your face. Now, you look like someone just took away a lifetime supply of fluff puffs from you." I tried to force a small smile in which she snorted, giving me a light kick to the side of my seat. "Don't try to fake it. What's wrong with you?"

I shrugged, forcing myself to sit upright on my seat and sighed, "It's nothing. I… just really want to meet up with Natsume, that's all."

Five long seconds bounced back between me and Hotaru as we stared back at each other, both of us commencing a silent staring contest to see who would be the first to break.

Finally, Hotaru gave another disapproved snort, dropped her bag to the floor, and whipped out a toy novelty gun in front my face.

I gasped in shock, instantly recognizing the familiar toy gun. "Hota─"

_**Whack! Whack! Whack!**_

"Ah, hell!"

That was all I could manage to say as I suddenly found myself being shot out of my seat. Before I even had the chance to react, three hard whacks were sent flying at my forehead.

I grunted while scrambling myself up from off of the floor and fumed, "What the hell, Hotaru!"

Unfazed, she simply gave a light blow over the smoking tip of her gun and grinned. "I'll attempt to ask you once more," her monotone voice replied smoothly. "What's wrong?"

When she noticed that I didn't respond in less than one second, she cocked back the trigger to her gun, steadying herself for another aim.

"Alright, alright!" I exclaimed, snatching a pillow to guard my face from harm. "I'll tell you, so just put the stupid gun away, already."

She complied with my wish, flipping the gun's handle around the tip of her finger like some pro-Western cowboy, and situated it into her pocket, and gestured me to sit beside her on the couch.

I gave up with a roll of my eyes. My fingers fiddled together with my leg bouncing anxiously as I started with, "Natsume… He… Ex-girlfriend… And I…"

"You're not making any sense."

Seriously, why was this so freaking hard to do?

I sighed again and turned to look at Hotaru fully. "It's about Natsume." She arched a brow, probing me to continue. "You know how this place is crawling with celebrities, right?"

"It's a celebrity resort," Hotaru said like the answer was obvious.

I nodded, thinking of how to take the conversation step by step. "Okay, well… Let's just say that I happened to run into a famous _celebrity_ who also happened to be… Natsume's…" I closed my eyes, balled my fists, and in three seconds time finished with, "I ran into Natsume's ex-girlfriend."

There… I said it… I finally said it!

Slowly, I opened my eyes, craning my neck to test the look on Hotaru's face.

The normal stoic expression was etched upon her face, but I noticed a certain hint of emotion flicker within her dark, purple irises.

"Hotaru?" I asked, ready to bring forth the big question. "Do you know Mikka Kanne?" Her brows rose at the name as I quickly added, "And… did you know that she was Natsume's ex-girlfriend?"

Her eyes closed and I grabbed her hand with her violet eyes finally opening to look at me fully. She shook her head and sighed, "Damn it all… I knew that this was going to happen one day."

"So, Natsume was keeping something from me." I asked the question like it was an undoubted fact. "He's still keeping something from me, isn't he, Hotaru?"

She removed her hand away from mine, rolling her eyes. "It's nothing to get worked up about," she replied impassively. "Not that it's important, but she was just a regular face that I often saw hanging around Natsume, Ruka, and Tsubasa back in high school. Of course, I never thought much of her. But that's it."

I frowned at that lie. "That's not all, Hotaru, and you know it. If you're my friend then you would tell me. What happened between Natsume and Mikka Kanne that I don't know about? What─"

"It's nothing that you need to worry about, now," she interjected. "Mikan, back then, Natsume was… Natsume was a little different from how you know him, today. But now, he's alright, and the past is the past. He loves you, and that's all that counts."

And… just what the hell was that supposed to mean?

"Hotaru, you're not making any sense."

"Stop worrying," she pointed out as if she were tired from the conversation, already. "I don't know why Mikka is here at the resort, but it doesn't matter. You're freaking out over nothing."

Those words still weren't enough to make me feel convinced. "I still don't get what you─"

"Ladies!"

Right out of nowhere, the front door suddenly flew open, revealing a woman with carmine-pink hair.

Excitement filled her eyes as she looked about the room, and after resting her eyes on me and Hotaru, she ran over to join us at the couch.

Misaki situated both hands on her hips and said, "I'm so glad that you guys are still here. Okay, you won't believe the big news. I was making a run downstairs in the lobby where all of the fellow celebrities were gathering together, and then…" She cut herself off after taking in the tense atmosphere. "Hey, what's up? You guys look pensive. Did something happen?"

"Nothing's wrong," I lied flatly, folding both arms over my chest while shooting my best friend a narrowed glare.

Hotaru looked at me with a snort before turning to Misaki. "She's mad at me for something that doesn't matter," she drawled plainly.

The pink-haired fashion designer stared back at me and Hotaru a little longer before rolling her eyes. "Well, let's try to get rid of the doom and gloom, okay, ladies?" She sounded excited again while bringing up her original topic. "And you guys won't believe the big news. Jet R3D is getting ready for an opening show to kick off the night of the resort! Isn't that awesome?"

My ears practically perked up at the band name. "Jet R3D?" I asked her. "So, Natsume is doing an opening for tonight?"

"We have to go!"

All heads turned to the attention of a girl whose green hair looked as if a bolt of static had just shocked her senseless. I guess that's what happens when you jump around on a bed too much…

Sumire rushed over to join everyone at the couch and demanded, "Let's hurry up and get a spot in the very front before the lobby gets too packed."

"Are you done playing monkey up there, now, Shouda?" Hotaru's monotone voice pointed out.

Sumire was just about to retort but had to stop with a small gasp as she straightened out her frizzy-like bangs. "Watch it, Imai," she snarled. Then, her green eyes flickered to me. "And what the hell are you doing just sitting there, Sakura? Did you not hear what Misaki just said?" She slurred each word carefully while saying, "_Natsume_ is doing an _opening show._ Come on, come on, come on, and get up!"

She tugged harder at my arm to the point where I had to slap her hand away. "I really don't… feel like going right now. I-I'll see him some other time."

"This will be your first time actually seeing Natsume playing a show, right?" Hotaru asked me. I turned to look at her, biting my lip, and was about to speak before she added, "Think about it. The last thing that you'd want to do is miss your boyfriend playing one of his songs, especially if you've never heard him sing."

Damn it… The girl was right.

Both Misaki and Sumire looked to me, their eyes questioning of what would be my answer. I huffed out an exasperated sigh.

"Fine…"

**.**

The four of us made our way downstairs towards the lobby where only a few people appeared to be showing up one at a time.

There were a few celebrities huddled together in their own small corner. Men dressed in black suits, who appeared to be the celebrity appointed bodyguards, were surrounding them. I couldn't help but think that they looked similar to characters from the Matrix with the way that they were wearing their shades while standing firm in military position.

Busy scouring through the few crowds of people, Sumire pointed off in a certain direction towards the stage. "Yes! It looks like there are still some spots at the front. Come on, guys, let's go." She wasted no time as she took off to claim a good area and pulled Misaki by the arm with her.

Appearing to notice my lack of excited energy, Hotaru came to stand just beside me and gave a small nudge to my arm. "You're not mad, right?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Why would I be mad?" Trying to appear lively, I grinned and pointed to my pink-tee with the face of a sexy idol as the main attraction. "Besides, I'm wearing my favorite, lucky shirt of the beautiful Mick Jagger. I'm good."

"Idiot," Hotaru said, flicking my nose. "I thought you stopped obsessing over him a long time ago." She closed her eyes and grabbed my hand, squeezing it as if to reassure me. "Look, I know that you don't believe me when I say that Natsume no longer feels anything for Mikka Kanne. But you should him better than anyone else. You two idiots are like magnets; you connect. So, stop looking so morbid and smile, already."

"I know, Hotaru," I laughed, squeezing her hand back. "I know that Natsume loves, me, I do. But…I just think I need some time to think, that's all."

She responded with a small grin of her own and started to head towards the audience. I felt her tug at my wrist as if to pull me along, but let my hand slide out from her grip in which she looked back at me with a questioning look.

"I'll catch up with you guys in a minute, alright?" I asked, making sure that it was okay.

She eyed me skeptically as if in worry. I waved back with a weak smile, trying to hint her that I'd somehow be okay on my own. I decided to make my way through two double-glass doors leading outside towards a small garden.

After finding a seat on a nearby bench, I allowed all of my unsettling stress to crash forward. Time seemed to stand still as I sat secluded to my own little bench, lost in my own track of thought in my own little world.

Mikka Kanne… Just exactly what was she to Natsume, now? Does she still have feelings for the man that I love? Does Natsume still have feelings for her?

My fingers curled around the edge of the bench as I bent back my head to catch the relaxing breeze.

The soft feel of the cold night air felt as if it was kissing my cheeks with the dissonant melody of crickets to keep me company. Even though my mind was a mess, at least I had a tranquil night to calm me down.

Kicking my legs back and forth against the dirt ground, I sighed softly, "I feel like a wreck…"

My self-pity party went on for another silent count of five seconds up until I heard the sound of faint rustling coming from the bush behind me.

I gasped at the sudden sound, freezing on the spot as I slowly turned my head.

Oh, no… Was someone out here other than me? As far as I knew, I was the only one outside while everyone else was inside the lobby hotel waiting for Jet R3D to show up.

The distant trail of footsteps became louder as the bush shook violently. Unsure of what was to come, I gulped, my lips quivering in fear, and then suddenly…

"Coming through! Move!"

"Ah!"

I screamed in fright at the sight of a tall figure flying straight from out of the bushes. He came right out of nowhere, crashing into me as we both fell with my head landing on the ground with a hard given thud.

The stinging pain to my head hurt like hell and I groaned in horror after seeing that my favorite Mick Jagger shirt now had a torn hole. Gritting my teeth, I turned to the one responsible and fumed, "W-what the hell was that for?" I shifted myself from up off the ground. "Don't you know how to say excuse me when you run into someone?"

Ignoring the rude finger point to his face, the said jerk gave a click of his tongue as he situated himself up.

I was just about to release an unrelenting storm of sailor mouth swears, but paused on the words to come after taking notice of the guy's face.

Even though he had a pair of shades covering his eyes, just the sight of his muscular physique was enough to make me melt. Aside from the fact that he had a handsome face, I took notice that the color of his hair was… white.

Hold on… White hair? Didn't I see someone with white hair once before?

"Sorry about that," his dry voice replied nonchalant while brushing the bit of dirt away from his jeans. I gasped at the sound of his familiar tone, thinking that it sounded too similar to Natsume's. "It wasn't on purpose. I was just─"

"Kyaa! Shiro-kun, I love you!"

"Shiro-kun, please marry me!"

The screeching sound of shrieking screams could be heard from just a few feet away.

"Oh, hell…" came the irritated groan from the handsome stranger. He scratched at his white head of hair with a sigh of frustration before turning back to me. "Look, I know that you hate me right now for nearly running you over, but… I'm kind of being stalked right now, so could you help me out by saying that you never saw me?"

Before I even had the chance to ask what the hell he was talking about, he staggered back into the bush behind me and hid himself behind a few branches. I gawked at the weirdo like he was crazy in which he signaled me with the use of his finger as if to hush.

"Shiro-kun, please sign my shirt!"

"Shiro-kun, I love you!"

I winced in response to the many catlike squeals sounding off as a small crowd of girls came to a good stop just in front of me.

Judging by the elaborate and overly decorated signs with the name, "Shiro-kun," written in big letters, I concluded that they were the average, typical group of deranged fan-girls.

One of them with short cropped bangs looked about the area in desperation before settling her eyes upon me. "Did you see Shiro-kun run by here?" she asked.

"Shiro-kun?" I repeated, wrinkling my nose at the name. "What's a Shiro-kun?"

Once the words left my mouth, a simultaneous round of shocking gasps erupted from the group of girls. They all stared back at me like I was from distant galaxy or something with the word, taboo, taped over my lips.

Another girl stepped forward and asked, "You don't know who Shiro-kun is?" She crossed both arms over her chest while tapping her foot. "Were you even born in the right century? _Everyone_ knows that Shiro Yamato is the hottest thing to walk the earth."

I gave a click of my tongue after hearing her speak. "I was born in the twenty-first century, thank you very much. And weren't you guys busy looking for someone? You should be more concerned about that rather than interrogating me about when I was born."

The woman simply scoffed, "We're looking for a celebrity, not that you would know who he is. So, look, did you happen to see a guy with white hair run by here just a few seconds ago or not?"

I arched a brow. "A guy with white hair?"

I instinctively turned my head over to the bush behind me and witnessed the faint sight of rustling from the background. After putting two and two together, I snorted, finally concluding this current given situation.

Alright, I guess I'll decide to play the nice guy just this once…

"Sorry, girls," I said, turning to look back at the group of crazies. "I'm afraid that I didn't see any guy with white hair pass me by. Better luck trying to look somewhere else."

All of them groaned in response with murmured swears and whined in complaints. They continued their small share of dejected sighs before each of them decided to scurry off towards a route leading into another dirt road.

I could only shake my head as I watched them horde off like a herd of bull. Seriously, what was up with the female population these days?

"Well, I'll be damn…"

Forgetting about the mysterious stranger who had recently just knocked me over, I turned to find him finally emerging from the bushes. He brushed off a few leaves from his shirt and came to stand beside me.

He released a good sigh of relief as he removed his shades. "That's the first time that I've seen a group of fan-girls leave in less than ten seconds time. You did a pretty good job. Thanks a lot."

I shrugged like it wasn't a big deal. "Um… you've got a few leaves still stuck in your hair." Doing my best to hold back a laugh, I smiled and pointed. "It's right there."

"Serious?" he gasped, running both hands through his white head of hair.

For some reason, I couldn't hold back the uncontrollable laughter as I witnessed him shaking his head like some wild cat who had just taken a bath. "Here, let me help you," I giggled and assissted him in removing the leaves.

Standing on the tips of my toes, I reached out to brush off the few remaining twigs from his white tresses and tried to even out his bangs. It didn't occur to me of just how close we actually were until our noses were practically touching as we stared back at each other face to face.

Then suddenly, I gasped as my eyes came into contact with his bright red orbs.

Wow... Red eyes. The color was so tantalizing, so... magnetic and alluringly bold.

Unconsciously, I licked my lips, thoughts tracing back to a certain raven haired idol with crimson eyes.

This stranger standing before me… It was almost like staring right back at Natsume. I found it odd, since he was the only one I knew that had deep, red eyes that could seduce a girl's heart.

It was then that I noticed a grin forming at the smug guy's lips. Feeling the heat creeping up to my cheeks, I cleared my throat while looking away and decided to do ourselves both a favor by putting a small distance between us.

"Hey… Don't I know you?"

"Eh?" I looked back to the handsome stranger in aloof. "H-how would you know me? Have we met before?"

"I never forget pretty faces, kid," he said with a smirk and enclosed the bit of space with three long strides. I gulped at the sudden closeness, tasting the nostalgic scent of peppermint and cinnamon that whipped throughout the air. "And I believe that we have met before."

Feeling his scrutinizing gaze studying me from top to bottom, I couldn't help but freeze on the spot. My legs refused to move, the speed of my heart accelerated, and my eyes seemed to be caught in a trance by the color of red.

He pretended to muse in thought with a small "Hm," and with a snap of his fingers suddenly exclaimed, "I remember now! Let's see…Central Café, right?"

The last three words rung like a bell inside of my head as I blinked slowly and studied the guy a little harder.

After three seconds, I gasped, pointing in shock at the familiar face. "Y-you…!"

The handsome stranger simply smirked, appearing to fight back a laugh as I pointed like a gawking idiot at his nose. "Well, hello, beautiful. I knew I recognized your pretty face."

"You're that guy from before," I muttered a little to myself. My eyes studied the familiar crimson eyes that reminded me of Natsume's fiery orbs. Everything was coming back now… "You're the same one I met that one time when I accidently broke those glass plates."

"Congratulations, you finally figured it out," he chuckled with a clap of his hands. He nodded in thought with a click of his tongue before adding, "And if I recall, you were the cute little maid that I saved from way back then, isn't that right?"

I felt a blush coming on again. "Y-yes, um… It's n-nice to see you again, um… Um…"

He appeared to be amused as he arched a brow while pocketing both hands into his jeans. "You still don't know my name? Even after seeing those fan-girls screaming it out right in front of you?"

"Then the guy that those girls were looking for… You must be─"

"Shiro Yamato," he finished for me, grabbing my hand as he placed a chaste kiss upon the back of my skin. "It's a pleasure to meet you again at last, my cute little maid."

His voice sounded so similar to Natsume's. And those eyes… "Shiro Yamato," I repeated to myself, knowing that I was now redder than a tomato. "Wow, this is… a big surprise. I-I wasn't expecting to s-see you here at the resort."

"Now that I think about it… I don't believe I had the pleasure of learning your name just yet." Shiro grinned in a way that sent my heart skipping away. "The pretty face, however, is something that I do recall."

"M-Mikan," I answered, unconsciously allowing the words to escape my lips. "My name is Mikan Sakura."

Shiro's brows rose then settled at the name. He clicked his tongue and said, "Mikan? That name… It's another word for saying; oh what was it again… It's another way of saying tangerine, right?"

"What? H-how did you know that?"

He only shrugged. "Well, just between you and me, I'm the type of guy who likes to eat fruit. And you may not know this about me, but…" I stayed still as he bent down to whisper seductively into my ear, "I love eating tangerines. The taste soothes my pallet, if you know what I mean."

I swear if he used that rugged voice on me one more time...

"S-stop lying," I breathed out, pushing the playful pervert away from me.

A sly smirk played at his lips. "Who said I was lying? It's the truth. Tangerines really are my favorite fruit."

My heart pounded against my chest. The strange fact that he actually knew what my name stood for made me… happy? I mean, not even my own boyfriend knew the meaning behind my name. I seriously wanted to burst out smiling like an idiot right now. It wasn't like I could help it. Girls like hearing it when guys give them compliments about their name, and hey it didn't hurt if the guy happened to be cute, too.

"So, why are you here at this resort, anyway, Mikan?" Shiro suddenly asked.

I blinked twice. "Why am I here? Well, that's… I won a ticket for free along with some friends. Besides, why waste a boring summer when you can enjoy your time at resort, right?"

He nodded in thought for a moment. "Ah, you make a good point."

"Why are you here, Shiro?"

I watched as his white bangs blew gallantly with the wind. "Let's just say that I happen to be a special celebrity guest here at the resort as well. I'll be playing one of my songs for one of the events. Just like you said…" He caught a blowing leaf through the wind in his hand, brushing it between his fingers and winked. "Why waste a boring summer when you can enjoy your time at a resort?"

My heart skipped a beat yet again. "W-well, it was really nice meeting you again─"

"Shiro."

"Right. Shiro." I inhaled a quick breath to calm myself down. "I think I'll go on and head back inside towards the lobby. Jet R3D is supposed to be doing an opening song for the night of the resort, so… yeah."

"Jet R3D, huh?" Shiro asked, letting the name play on the tip of his tongue. "I didn't know those guys would be the ones doing an opening for tonight's show. Heh, that's really something…"

"Are you familiar with them?"

"You can say that," he shrugged indifferently. "Well, let's not waste any more time out here. I'll go ahead and escort you back inside, Mikan."

I blushed and looked away. "N-no, that's okay, you really don't have─"

"Mikan." Then without warning, he took me by the hand, and I almost flinched from the certain jolt that radiated off from his warm touch. He bent down once more to whisper into my ear, "Be a good little girl and listen. A guy is never supposed to let a woman walk alone. Understand?"

Biting my lip, I did my best to fight back the heat to my cheeks and nodded. "If y-you say so…"

When he didn't say anything more, I looked up to chance a small glimpse of his expression. His red eyes stared back at me, amusement flickering within his deep pools.

"You're a stubborn little girl, you know that?"

A tingling sensation overcame me at those words.

The way that he called me little girl… almost reminded me of how Natsume always teases me.

First the guy has similar red eyes to Natsume, then he has a similar voice to Natsume, and now he teases me like Natsume. Did such a guy really exist? Unable to resist his couth, and that strangely charming, boyish grin of his, I didn't dare to refuse his offer and complied willingly.

We made our way back towards the lobby and by this time, the room was nearly overcrowding with people. I did my best to stand on my toes, hoping that I'd be able to spot Hotaru or one of my other friends somewhere through the large audience. Seeing that it was futile, I grunted, and tried to fight through the crowd, only to be pushed back.

Right when I felt myself being shoved aside, I felt a hard grip catch me by the arm. I looked up, startled to see that Shiro had caught my wrist, watching his red eyes study me in amusement as I blushed madly.

"You're really clumsy, you know that?" his voice rasped, hauling me up the wrist to his chest.

The contact of hard abs made me shudder, and I had to balance myself accordingly while pushing away from him. "T-thanks…"

He smiled down at me with his hand still latched securely to my wrist and led me away through the crowd. We came to a good stop to stand in the mid-center of the audience. It wasn't that close to the stage, but I was satisfied nonetheless.

I could feel my heart thumping in anticipation. Pretty soon Natsume would be singing on stage. I couldn't wait to finally see him.

Suddenly, a blonde-headed man who appeared to be in his late twenties came out from behind the red curtain of the stage. He was dressed in a French contoured shirt with frills layered at the sleeves, and I had to snort back a laugh as he skipped his way flamboyantly to the microphone.

He tapped the tip of his microphone before clearing his throat, and exclaimed, "Bonjour! How is everyone doing, tonight? I'm Narumi Anjou, your host for the summer resort!"

The crowd responded with whistling cheers and a sound of applause.

Pleased with the welcoming excitement, Narumi continued, "Alright, I'm glad to see that everyone's having a good time. Now, before we begin our summer fun here at the resort, there are two main rules that everyone must abide by. Rule number one: Fans are not allowed to pester the celebrity guests for autographs and/or pictures unless given permission. Rule number two: Everyone should respect one another's privacy. This means no fighting, no bickering, and no damaging property, alright? This resort will also be kicking off three summer games between these two months of July and August. So, let's all try to get along and enjoy ourselves."

He sent a wink to the audience and gestured a hand towards the curtain behind him.

"And now, I'm pleased to introduce the hottest band of the century. Jet R3D!"

* * *

**Natsume**

"You guys all set?"

I looked at each of my band members to make sure that they were all here and accounted for.

"Roger that!" Andou answered while giving a peace sign with two fingers.

Koko commenced a small bit from his drums before ending with a chime of his cymbals and shouted, "I'm good to go!"

After adjusting the sound to his keyboard, Youichi looked up with his normal lukewarm expression and gave me a thumbs up. "No problem," he replied.

The mood felt great. We were all decked in black with only our bright red guitars, drums, and keyboard standing out for color. The indie rocker vibe suited every one of us perfectly.

After adjusting the tuning to my own guitar, I heaved out a sigh to release the nerves building inside of my chest.

Although I appeared to be lax and confident, I truly felt tense more than anything. The thought of seeing Mikka's face after two long years still hadn't settled just yet. And then there was the sinking feeling of not having heard anything from my girlfriend (whose lazy behind still should've given me a call a long time ago).

It all felt so…complicated.

Knowing that both my ex-girlfriend and _present_ girlfriend were actually in the same resort together just made everything more fucking difficult.

I could only imagine the hurt Mikan would feel and her pissed off expression if she found out that my ex was here, too. The last thing that I ever want to do is hurt that little girl…

"─_I'm pleased to introduce the hottest band of the century. Jet R3D!"_

I snapped back to reality after hearing the name of my band.

I watched as the curtains flew open from either side of the stage and bounced lightly on my feet to get pumped up. "Alright, guys, let's kill this, tonight."

We were immediately showered with unyielding applause and screams. Now, this is what I'm talking about.

I stepped out for my microphone and sent a wink towards a few girls before asking the audience, "How's everyone doing, tonight?"

The room roared out in excitement. My name escaped the elated shouts from screaming girls in just about every corner of the jumping crowd. Feeling more pumped up than ever, I signaled for Koko to bring in the introduction of his drums. As the deep base started booming aloud, the mellow beat transcended from Youichi's keyboard, and then finally, to the strings of Andou's guitar.

Here we go.

"Give me a minute, I…

I need to get this picture right.

My lover she's on the phone, trying to start up another fight.

My friends are busy getting drunk from right across the bar.

My spot's been taken by some hotshot talking big about his car, and

I know I gave it to you days ago

I know you don't wanna remember it

But aside from the lies and little things

I'm doing my best with an apology

I'm trying my best to make it up…"

I felt my mind go airborne as I studied the excited crowd in front of me.

There were screams going off, fans doing fist pumps in the air as they shouted, and the mood just couldn't get any better. But it wasn't enough. Something was missing.

My eyes scoured over the large audience in search of a certain brunette. Mikan's face flooded in the back of my mind, subconsciously, as I continued singing and playing the strings to my guitar.

Mikan… Was she watching me right now? Was she out there somewhere hidden amidst the screaming crowd?

I wanted the woman I loved to be here, watching me pouring out my heart with my voice. This would be the first time that she would have seen me playing. This would be my first time impressing her with my music.

My eyes caught sight of a lot of pretty faces dressed in skimpy outfits with their busts screaming for attention. But only one girl mattered to me. Only she would be the center of my attention.

_Mikan… Mikan… Mikan…_

Then suddenly, as if by magic, my eyes finally rested upon the sight of hazel orbs.

My heart skipped a beat just at the sight of witnessing her presence alone. I felt a smirk curve at the corners of my lips and I busted out the volume from my guitar.

The adrenaline started pumping like crazy as I studied my brunette, how her eyes sparkled in a daze as they were locked onto me, and only me. I let my gaze hypnotize her honey-brown eyes, pulling her, hinting her that my voice was meant only for her. Even from afar, I could see her cheeks go a bright red from the spellbound hold that I was giving her.

Heh, I bet I'm the only guy in her life who could make her go crazy like that without the conveying of words. It was like a turn-on, me being able to control her mind and sweet innocence while mesmerizing her with my hypnotic voice.

Her eyes never left mine for a moment as we continued to hold our own small conversation with the use of our eyes alone. I loved the dominating spell that I appeared to have on her.

Then suddenly, I noticed a tall figure shifting closer to her side.

My concentration split from Mikan, and then shifted over to a guy whose hair was almost like the color of pure-white snow.

My brows furrowed for a small fracture of a second as I tried scrutinizing the weirdo from afar. It was then that I came into contact with a pair of red eyes.

Wait a damn moment… Red eyes?

I nearly lost focus as I felt my voice go sharp, taken aback by the familiarly shocking face.

Those red eyes… That head of white hair…

I recognized the face of that bastard ─ the smug grin which was now thinning at his lips, and the casual expression etched upon his easy-going facade.

He was standing just beside Mikan, a little too close in my opinion. She appeared to be excited and turned to say something to him as she smiled, and right there, I felt my blood boiling crazy.

This just didn't make sense… What the hell was that guy doing here?

**-(Preview)-**

What if the face that I saw truly belonged to my sworn enemy?

"**Dude,"** his sigh was mellow, **"all that practicing and singing must've gone to your head. And even if Shiro was here, I doubt that he'd be back to start up trouble, again."**

No… If Shiro really was back, then that definitely meant trouble was coming with him.

**.**

Firstly, I just want to thank every awesome reader for all of the amazing reviews. I'm completely overwhelmed by the amount of support hat this story already has. I appreciate the fact that you guys enjoy the length of my long chapters, even though I could probably shorten them from time to time *shrugs*. So, thank you all so very much for your endearing support!

Annnd the white-haired mystery guy shows up at last, red eyes and all! Niiice~

Thanks so much for reading, everyone! :))


	7. Trouble by Any other Name

**Disclaimer: **Nada.

**.**

**F(x)- Pinocchio (Danger)**

**Chapter 7: Trouble by Any other Name**

**.**

**Mikan**

Grace. Confidence. Certitude and Style.

Those were the words running throughout my mind as I watched Natsume singing on the stage.

He had his very own equanimity, his own attitude that made him stand out despite being up there with his fellow band mates.

I don't know how or why, but for some reason I just knew that even though Natsume was putting on a show, all of his emotions and lingering expressions were meant solely for me.

The angelic voice lathered in that same rich, dark velvety coat that I adored was reaching out to me. I could _feel_ that it was only for me.

His red eyes were like a magnet, so invigoratingly galvanizing where I was caught in a spellbound hold ─ a helpless moth drawn to a kindling flame. His eyes were so… They were just so much more than what words could describe.

I watched the hot rocker with a smile. The only thing running in the back of my mind was magisterial pride.

That was my boyfriend on stage. He was mine. The hot guy singing in that sexy muscle-tee belonged to me.

"Is it just me, or is the lead singer actually singing to you?"

Startled by the sudden voice, I snapped my head over to look up at another pair of red orbs. They were bright and alluring, but not the same radiant pair that belonged to the man that I loved.

"Oh, Shiro," I said, smiling up at him with a laugh. "I totally forgot that you were standing beside me."

He grinned, whipping the few bangs of his snow-white tresses away from his face as he scooted a little closer to my side. "Can't blame you," he shouted out in between the many screams coming from the crowd around us. "It's a nice song."

"Right?" I shouted back in agreement, giving a playful nudge to his arm.

Still pumped up from the exciting show, my eyes travelled back up to the stage to see if Natsume was still gazing at me. He appeared to be looking my way.

Then suddenly, I noticed his gaze shift over to the side for only a split second. I didn't seem to mind though up until I noticed his brows slightly start to knit together. His red orbs then flickered back over to me all at once, and I witnessed a certain spark flash throughout his dark irises.

At that very moment, I felt a ghostly shock jolt throughout my body.

Though I had no idea exactly why I started to get such an uneasy, elegiac sensation, Natsume's eyes were strangely discomforting for me this time. The foreboding look sent shivers down the hairs of my arms.

During those few seconds, I didn't even get a chance to interrogate what exactly was lingering within his now distant gaze, for he had already decided to shift his attention elsewhere.

I didn't know what to think when the sinking feeling of rejection started to replace excitement. One minute I was blushing at the cheeks from the evidently seductive stare pulling me from my boyfriend's eyes, and then the next, I… I felt as if I had been discarded.

Oh, seriously, Natsume ─ what the hell?

I mean, not too long ago he had been standing right there, staring intently at me while singing, and now he's decided to ignore me completely?

The music gradually started to fade into the background as Natsume's voice transcended into acapella, without the instrumentals. Eyes closed, raven locks glued to his face with glistening sweat exuding all the way down his well-built arms, Natsume finished singing into the microphone.

Despite the disquieting feeling I had, I couldn't help but marvel at the stunning creature singing on the stage. Natsume just had this… thing, where the eyes dared not to look away; you were immediately drawn to his radiance.

As if he hadn't won the crowd already, Natsume finished off the song with an awesome solo from his guitar.

I felt my heart swoon at the sound of his fingers plucking the strings. Whoa, I haven't felt this way about a man's voice since my obsessive days of listening to Mick Jagger.

Appearing to be content with the roaring crowd, he gave a courteous bow before muttering into his microphone, "Thank you all very much for coming out, tonight. Jet R3D is honored to be here with you guys."

His rugged voice sent the entire female population amidst the crowd screaming away as they chanted his name over and over again.

"Natsume," I whispered to myself. "Natsume, look at me. Look at me…"

I repeated those words quietly under my breath, hoping that a pair of crimson eyes would lock hold onto me again. But it never came.

Natsume continued waving in gratitude towards the crowd, bowing every now and then as he sent a small smirk. Yet as he waved to his adoring fans, his eyes never wavered over to me. It was as if he was willing himself not to look my way.

He gave one last bow to his audience, and tugged on the straps to his guitar before following his fellow band members behind the curtain of the stage.

Was it wrong to think that my boyfriend was being a prick right now?

Giving a disapproving click of my tongue, I bit at the bed of my one of my nails in nervousness. "Natsume…"

"Are you okay?"

I looked over at the handsome celeb still standing beside me. Hoping to hide the uncertainty within my worried expression, I cleared my throat and replied casually, "Yeah, I'm fine. I just… kinda got caught up in the moment, you know?"

One of Shiro's brow rose with his lips curving into a smirk. "Yeeaaah, you looked pretty intense there for a second." He gave me a playful nudge to my arm and I faked a small smile.

Anxious, I turned to look back up at the stage and fingered at my auburn strands in nervousness. My eyes scanned about the area in hopes of a small glimpse of a certain rock star. But no matter how hard I searched, the sight of raven hair never appeared.

I couldn't say for sure, but I could swear that the mirthless glow in Natsume's eyes looked like… betrayal.

* * *

**Natsume**

The moment I got the chance to head backstage was the very moment when I allowed all of my unsettling rage to crash forward.

I could feel the embittered scowl that had been masked away by a fake smile start to form at the corners of my lips.

Vexation ate away at my animated energy. I released the strap of my guitar around my neck and settled it on top of my case before finding a good spot against the wall. Hell, it took everything for me not to practically throw the damn thing to the floor.

Cursing under my breath, I bent my head back with a demoralizing sigh, and let my back gradually slide down the wall until coming to a slouching position upon the floor.

The picture of red eyes ghosted through the back of my mind like some minor flashback from out of a horror film. I could still feel my heart pounding rapidly with the muscles in my arms gone tense.

Desperate for answers, I tried to come up with solution after solution, thinking that my imagination had gotten the best of me, thinking that my mind was just playing tricks on me.

Truth is, I… I was afraid if the outcome turned out to be real.

What if the face that I saw truly belonged to my sworn enemy? What if that really was him that had been standing right in the back of the audience next to my girlfriend?

I balled my hands into tightly clenched fists, so much to the point where blood could start seeping through the skin. It was already bad enough that Mikka decided to show up. Now, another familiar face had come back from my past to haunt me yet again?

No, that couldn't be... I just had to be imagining things.

Damn it all… I don't know why I felt so pathetic right now. Jet R3D just made its opening performance for crying out loud. If anything, I should be excited and pumped up. Being able to sing out there in front of Mikan for the first time meant so much to me. But after witnessing a nostalgic face of red eyes and white hair, I just… I just lost it.

For what it was worth, I had enjoyed my subtle moment for being able to capture my girlfriend's attention with just the look of the eyes and the sound of my voice alone. It would have been worth the moment if only she hadn't…

My fists clenched tighter.

…If only she hadn't turned to smile at that bastard. Her smile was supposed to be mine. It was only mine.

The image of white hair and red eyes played over and over in the back of my mind. I closed my eyes in frustration, refusing to believe my possible hallucination. "Damn…"

My thoughts were so wrapped around the many complications of an old enemy that I didn't even notice a hand shaking me roughly by the shoulder. Half startled, I opened my eyes to find Andou standing over me.

He arched an eyebrow at me, half grinning as he asked, "Hey, Natsume, what's wrong, man? You don't look so hot."

I blinked and looked away. "Andou," my voice was inanimate as I spoke, "do you remember the names of any other celebrities that were supposed to be here at the resort?"

"Other celebs?" he mused, chewing on his tongue as he pondered over the question. "Hm… I can think of some really famous actresses, and… Oh! There are supposed to be some really hot models that are─"

"Not that," I grated irritably. My eyes rolled at the idiot as I sighed, "I meant celebrities like Shiro Yamato."

His blue eyes widened then settled at the name. "Shiro Yamato?" he repeated in a way that made me sound like I was crazy. "You mean _the_ Shiro Yamato that went to high school with us, right? Natsume, I doubt that guy would be here." He laughed with a shrug of his shoulders and added, "Though it probably wouldn't be a surprise. This is a celebrity resort, anyway."

Unconvinced, my brows creased together with a shake of my head. "I saw him, Andou," I whispered, frustration embedded within my voice. "He's here again…"

Catching onto my solemn attitude, he socked a playful punch to my arm, adding a good-natured grin. "Dude," his sigh was mellow, "all that practicing and singing must've gone to your head. And even if Shiro was here, I doubt that he'd be back to start up trouble, again."

I had to snort at the last line of his sentence. Andou just didn't know what miserable pain I had endured back then. It was all because that I had let my guard down that 'trouble' had devilishly crept its way into my damn life in the first place.

No… If Shiro really was back, then that definitely meant trouble was coming with him.

Suddenly, I pictured Mikan's smiling face, remembering the enchantment within her hazel eyes when she had watched me while I was singing.

My chest tightened up at that very second. I wondered what she thought of me after the little stunt I pulled out there on stage. Her presence was the only thing that I craved for right now.

I'd definitely have to catch up with her somehow, tomorrow. Even if we were still keeping our relationship hushed on the sides, I wanted to be able to see her.

Chewing on the inside of my cheek, I closed my eyes and tried to clear away my thoughts.

"Definitely…"

* * *

**Mikan**

July 8, 12:10pm

My first big experience in the summer resort had already flown by in the blink of an eye.

After watching Jet R3D's phenomenal blindsiding performance, Hotaru, Misaki, Sumire, and I had spent the rest of our late night watching cool movies like Super 8 and other awesome sci-fi films.

We had our own little fun while chugging down ice-cold cans of cola and eating at least three bowls of popcorn. All that late night consumption of caffeine had kept us going (excluding Hotaru, whose diet remained strictly on water), and we probably didn't go to sleep until six in the morning.

Yet here we were upon this Friday afternoon, young and alive, ready to start another day of what the resort had to offer. The four of us were currently standing in line inside of the dining room area of the hotel, hoping to get a good bite to eat for lunch after having already missed breakfast.

Attached to my arm, Sumire continued her fan-girl rants of adoration as she thought back to Jet R3D's lead singer. "Oh, man, did you see how hot Natsume looked last night? It was pure epic, don't you think?"

Here she goes again…

It was amazing that she had so much energy, especially considering how she was the first one to pass out last night with drool slipping at the mouth.

"And the way that Youichi was playing that keyboard," she added, emphasizing her clear admiration with a sigh. "Sakura, remember how he came to our school that one time and I finally got to see him in person? I swear that he looks just like Natsume. He's so adorable but hot at the same time, you know?

"Yes, Sumire," I laughed with a shake of my head while reaching out for a clean plate and a tray. "You've only said that about a _thousand_ times, already."

Misaki whistled at the sight of freshly baked cookies as she came to stand beside us. "Well, what about you, Mikan?" she asked me, stacking her plate with chocolate-chip deluxe. "What are your thoughts after seeing your boyfriend work his stuff up on that stage last night? Pretty cool, huh?"

"Me?" I pretended to be aloof for a moment, biting my lip as I tried to sound a little indifferent. "Oh, well, yeah, he was… He was great."

That half-hearted response was enough for me.

To be honest, if I was in my normal usually cheerful mood right now, I would've probably chimed in with her about how undeniably drop-dead gorgeous, cool, and talented Natsume and his band were. And yet it was as if a showering rain was hovering over my head with a cloud of grey.

Honestly, I was having a lot of fun being able to stay inside of a celebrity resort, but… what good was the fun if I didn't get a chance to talk or speak to my own celebrity boyfriend?

Not only was I upset that I haven't been able to hang out with Natsume, but thinking about his odd actions during last night's performance made me a little on edge as well.

Just remembering the distant, inscrutable stare he had given me was enough to make my heart sink to my stomach. And then there's the fact that he had been keeping a secret from me about his ex-girlfriend.

Seriously… it's so hard not knowing what goes on in that stupid jerk's head. Boy, I swear I'll let him have it the next time we meet.

"The word, great, does not do that sexy beast justice," Sumire said to me, shaking her index finger in my face with a disapproving click of her tongue. "That boy is too dayum fine for his own good."

I rolled my eyes and redirected my attention to the pink-haired fashion designer. "What did you think about the show, Misaki? Tsubasa looked pretty good up there while playing his guitar."

Misaki snorted with a shrug of her shoulders. "Eh, he was okay. I've seen him look better than that. There was this one time," she took a bite out of her chocolate-chip cookie, sighing blissfully as she continued, "where he was playing a show with his shirt off at this rock café, and you could see his entire abs, and…" After taking notice of my inquisitive brow and amused grin, she paused for words and laughed nervously. "Oh, n-not that I cared or anything like that, it was just… you know."

I smiled wryly at that lie. Yeah, right… She was so sprung.

Suddenly, a disgruntled sigh came about as I looked over Misaki's shoulder to find Hotaru giving an unpalatable stare at a tub of wonton soup. Her brows knitted together as she picked up the spoon of soup, wrinkling her nose in disgust at how the contents floated and bounced.

Monochromatic, she muttered, "This stuff looks like crap..." Nevertheless, she scooped up a nice bowl of soup and set it on her tray.

I fought back a laugh and asked, "What about you, Hotaru? What did you think of the show?"

Both of her brows rose at the question. "What did I think?" She cut her way in front of Sumire, ignoring a pissed off narrowed glare, and studied the other delectable entrées as she lazily replied, "Your boyfriend's voice was sharp at the end, Tsubasa had on way too much eyeliner, Youichi should stop trying to dress after Natsume, and the drummer could use a new haircut. But the song wasn't as lame as I thought it would be."

Even Sumire and Misaki had to gawk along with me in silence after hearing the harsh critique from the all hailing supreme, Hotaru Imai.

Indifferent, the cold critic slid her way around my side and grabbed a few crab cakes from off of the buffet venue. "And since you're just standing there," she said casually as I narrowed my eyes at her rude manners, "I'm guessing you don't mind if I cut in front of you."

"Still craving crab cakes like always, huh?"

Surprised by the sudden voice, all heads snapped over to witness a familiarly handsome face. He looked just as gorgeous as ever.

His prince-like features were flawless, with his blonde bangs falling just above his lashes, and his deep pools of sky-blue were enough to make a girl faint. Even though he was dressed in what appeared to be a chef attired uniform, the construction of his muscles was outlined perfectly through the sleeves.

"Ruka!" I exclaimed happily, waving like a goofy idiot. It had been far too long since I had seen him last.

"Hey there, Nogi!" Misaki greeted excitedly.

I heard a faint squeal getting ready to unleash from Sumire as my head turned to find her green eyes widening in awe. She pointed shockingly at the celebrity guest. "Oh my gosh…! Oh my gosh, look, it's─"

Before she could hyperventilate any further, I used my hand to quickly cover her mouth. "We know…"

Ruka came to stand just beside Hotaru as he swept an arm around her shoulder on the cool. He greeted casually, "Hey, there Mikan, it's been a long time. And Misaki, your pink hair looks longer, did you grow it out?"

The sudden topic made Misaki go red at the cheeks. She swept her pink tresses over her shoulder and laughed, "Yeah, can you tell?"

"Definitely. Tsubasa will be knocked head over heels." Ruka looked at his girlfriend next, seeming to be lost for words as he stared into her violet eyes, and I had to sigh like a helpless romantic as I noticed his neck start to go a little red. "Hey, Hotaru," he whispered lowly, pecking a light kiss to her cheek. "I've missed you. It's been a while."

Oh, how I envied my best friend right now…

Hotaru stared at the pair of blue eyes for a moment. With the intensive way she was looking at him, I was seriously beginning to think that she was going to kiss Ruka back.

That is until she cleared up the romantic atmosphere in a heartbeat as her pallid voice droned, "Take a look at this, Nogi." She held up her bowl of soup as if it were given evidence. "I know that you're the head chef in charge of the food here for the resort. But did you have to make the wonton soup look so full of mush?"

Surprisingly, the picky comment from his girlfriend made Ruka laugh as he rolled his eyes. "Hey, come on, give me a break. At least I added tons of crab cakes within the lunch menu. I know how much you like them."

"Wow, Ruka!" I exclaimed. "You're head chef in charge of the resort?"

He smiled and shrugged, "Well, since this is a celebrity resort, I thought that it would be cool if a celebrity chef played a special part as far as serving food. I hope the food is okay, though."

"Are you kidding?" I said looking at him like he was crazy. "Any person with taste buds should fall in love with your food, Ruka. Right, Hotaru?"

She blinked back at me for a brief second before turning to look at the hopeful gleam in Ruka's blue eyes. Aw, how could you say no to an adorable face like that?

Obviously, she must have been thinking the same thing because her purple eyes shifted away in discomfort as she closed them with a small sigh. Rather than buttering him up with warm words, she turned to walk away while neutrally saying, "This soup will go alright with crab cakes."

Ruka could only smile with a shake of his head at his girlfriend's feigned attempt for being honest. He bowed respectfully and sighed before taking off to follow after Hotaru.

After touching up her plate with a bit of sliced apples, Misaki waved a hand and shouted, "I'm going on ahead to find a seat, guys. Catch ya later!"

I waved back to her and returned my attention to the buffet, licking my lips avidly at the delectable cuisine. Ruka really outdid himself as head chef in the kitchen. There was so much to choose from!

My mouth watered in want. Pork egg rolls were my absolute favorite. I used a pair of tongs to pick up two of the little babies, inhaled the heavenly smell, and placed them in a good spot on my plate. "Not bad. This food looks way too good to pass up."

"I know, right?" Sumire chimed in with her hand scouring over the many choices of food. "My stomach is so dying right now."

As if finally coming to a decision, her hand reached out for a freshly baked, buttery croissant situated on top of the other bread selections. She appeared to be in it for the win… up until she noticed that another hand was holding the other end of the croissant.

She released a snarl with both of our heads looking up to check out the competition. Her blazing green eyes were all but warm as she snapped out, "Hey!"

Arching I brow, I took the time to study the guy from the bottom up. The sight of spiky brown hair immediately caught my attention.

Although the weird hair statement was rather loud, I had to admit that the guy looked pretty cute, standing all cool and lax and − whoa! Was he seriously wearing a black, Rolling Stones muscle-tee?

Alright, the guy definitely deserved points on appearance. He was smoking!

Unaffected, he stared down at his rival, clearly finding no real threat about a girl who was three inches shorter than him. I studied his boyish features, slightly taken aback by the fact that he just so happened to be the drummer of Jet R3D.

I felt my jaw drop low, but that was nothing compared to Sumire's now dumbstruck expression.

The poor thing appeared to be struggling with words as she shakily pointed a finger. "You…! Y-you're the d-drummer from J-Jet… Jet…!"

"Do you mind letting go? Your hand is on my croissant."

Crisp, clear, and straight to the point. Whoa, the guy had guts…

Now, this dude was either really bold or really stupid.

Trust me, whenever it came to rightfully claiming anything, going up against Sumire Shouda never proved to be the best decision. And judging by the look on her face right now, I suppose that her ears weren't expecting such a bold declaration.

"Wha─?" was the one word she managed to choke out. She was quick to clear up any hint of admiration as she said, "Excuse me, but I think that you mean _my_ croissant. I touched it first, so there."

"Look, Permy," the guy lazily drawled, earning a flustered gawk from Sumire at the odd, sudden nickname. "I'm really hungry. And if I don't eat, I turn into the Hulk ─ probably more green than your weird hair color." He tugged at the piece of bread. "So, let go, already."

"W-what did you just call me?" Smoke was practically fuming out of Sumire's ears now. "Look, just because you're part of a famous band doesn't mean that you can have things go your way. I touched the croissant first. This baby belongs to me."

The drummer smirked on the sly. "Aren't girls supposed to watch their weight when they eat?" he asked. "So, think about it. With you eating this bread of starch, won't you just get fat?"

Ouch!

"Son of a─"

"Cut! Cut!" I butted in faster than a referee in a boxing match and held out an arm to break up the fight. "Come on guys, that's enough." It was so hard not to laugh at this point. "Break it up, let's go. It's not that serious."

Green eyes flared over to me. "Mikan, did you hear what he just said? This freakin' idiot just called me fat!" Claws ready for a fight, Sumire turned to the drummer and fumed, "I don't know where you get off by─"

"Wait, Mikan?" Ignoring the situation entirely, the guy redirected his attention to me. "Are you Mikan Sakura?"

I nodded slowly. "Uh… yes?"

Excitement filled his copper eyes as he suddenly exclaimed, "Finally!" Next thing I know, the guy was pulling me into a tight embrace like we had been best friends for years. "Yes, this is so awesome! Do you know how awesome it is to finally meet you?"

I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't a little weirded out by the oddball. I blinked back aloof. "Finally m-meet me? Were we supposed to meet?"

He smiled a goofy grin. "What can I say? Fate works in mysterious ways. By the way, I'm Kokoro Yome ─ Koko for short. But man, you don't know how happy I am to finally meet Natsume's new girlfriend."

His hand reached for mine as we completed a peppy handshake. Talk about being energetic. I smiled, finding his kinetic personality strangely adorable. "Wow, t-thanks so much. You make me feel so flattered, I-I don't know what to say."

The snapping of Sumire's fingers suddenly came about with a clear of her throat as she interjected, "Hello?" She pushed me a little to the side and glared at Koko. "Can we get back to the real topic of subject, here? You were currently trying to take my croissant or don't you remember?"

Koko arched a derisive brow. "Oh yeah," he mused, taking two big chunks out of the croissant before licking the melting butter from his lips. He mouthed through stuffed cheeks, "Thanks for reminding me. I was getting pretty damn famished here."

Sumire gasped. "W-why you─"

"Ah, look, look! It's Koko-chan from Jet R3D!"

"Koko-chan is here! It's really him!"

Poor Sumire found herself being interrupted yet again as the sound of shrills filled the dining hall.

I don't know when, but somehow or another, she had been practically thrown off of to the side with girls crowding around Koko's space. Of course he didn't seem to mind, what with being too caught up in the moment of savoring the taste of victory from his croissant.

"Do you mind taking a quick picture with me, Koko-chan?" another girl asked, pushing me out of the way.

By this time, a crowd of girls had already bombarded past me, knocking my tray right out of my hands in the process. Mortified, I could only watch in horror as my plate of egg rolls tumbled into the air before plopping to the floor.

What the… They just…! Seriously, what the hell was with girls, these days?

I groaned, stomping my foot to the ground after witnessing a perfectly good plate of egg rolls go to waste.

Well, forget this crap. Hell, my stomach was starving, and I sure didn't feel like working my way back in line for more.

Energy now spent, hungry, and damn well upset, I decided to find my own little peace and quiet, hopefully that didn't require me to be run over by deluded fan-girls.

Mad as hell, I trudged my way through the exit of a backdoor leading out towards a balcony near the ocean and found a comfortable spot on a bench. Ignoring the annoying hunger pains coming from my stomach, I decided to watch the few crowds of people pass me by.

My thoughts started to clear at the beautiful sight before me. A sigh escaped my lips as I stared out at the deep waters of the ocean seen from meters away. The luminous rays of the sun shone brilliantly where the surface glistened a magical shade of crystal-blue.

Feeling my brown wisps of hair tickling at my cheeks, I reached out a hand, letting my fingers catch the nice, cool breeze of the afternoon air. Hearing the placid waves of the ocean made the endearing moment almost worth until I paused after feeling… a hand?

What the…?

It took two blinks, a gasp of breath, and a small shriek of a scream before I realized that a hand had snatched me roughly by my arm.

I tried to release a bloodcurdling scream loud enough for attention, but muffled incoherently once the stranger clasped a hand roughly over my mouth. The sensation of fear flooded through me as I found myself being hauled away from the public eye with my back being pressed up against a hard pillar.

My eyes closed, slowly opening to find a tall guy wearing a pair of tinted shades and a red cap towering over me. We stared back at each other in silence for a while up until he leaned forward to give what I assumed would have been a kiss, and ─ hello!

Forget the damsel in distress crap; I was ready to start throwing punches.

I struggled to get away, biting, kicking, and flailing my fists around everywhere. So far I had only landed two hard blows while swatting off his cap.

The pervert winced in pain, released a tenaciously low growl, and cuffed both of my wrists on either side of my head.

"Mikan, damn it, it's me."

My heart skipped and I froze.

That voice…

I blinked back for a moment, taking the time to scrutinize the handsome features of the guy who was still hovering over me. "N-Natsume?"

His hands released me then with my back slowly sliding down against the smooth marble of the pillar, and only then did I take notice of the recurring pain from his harsh hold.

He released a sigh, finally removing the tinted shades away from his face. I felt a breath of air become stuck in my throat after witnessing the familiar, galvanic spark of crimson red orbs.

After giving a roll of his eyes, he rubbed the spot where my fists had inflicted hits upon his chest. "Man, you hit hard. Little girl, you really are built like a brick."

My mouth opened then closed. "I'll pretend that I didn't just hear you say that," I growled lowly. "And what the hell were you thinking, scaring me like that? Geez, I thought that you were some weird pervert or something."

Cool as ever, he only shrugged and pocketed both hands into his jeans. "Hn…"

I snorted in return at his pompous attitude. Always the badass…

Then the thought actually hit me. Natsume… Natsume was here!

After not talking to him for what felt like centuries, my boyfriend was really standing in front of me in the very flesh.

Those red eyes that always penetrated through the soul, that head of disarrayed raven locks, that perfectly constructed body, and that cinnamon-wood scent currently whipping through the air that always made me want to faint was actually basking in my presence.

There were so many reasons that I had numbered off on my list of '_What to do when I meet back up with my jerk of a boyfriend,'_ list.

I wanted to chew him out for not contacting me, confront him about why the hell he had kept a secret about his pop star for an ex-girlfriend, but… With him standing all smug and looking so hot in front of me right now… what could I say?

Tilting his head, his gaze lazily drifted back to me as he arched a brow, finally taking notice of my canonizing stare of admiration. Man, I loved the way he could look so dispassionate and hot at the same time just by standing still.

I noticed him wrinkle his nose at the goofy grin now evident upon my smiling face. He opened his mouth to speak, but I didn't give him time.

With my legs moving of their own free will, my arms opened wide as I ran to embrace his hard body, pushing my face deeper into his chest as I squeezed him tightly. I allowed myself to adjust in my own little piece of heaven and after three seconds, felt a pair of strong arms cradling me close.

Slowly, I opened my eyes to glance up at a beautiful shade of red. Natsume bent his head towards my nose, capturing my lips as he gradually moved his hands away from my hips to cradle my face within his hands. I felt his tongue seeping through my parted lips, welcoming that cinnamon taste that I had missed so, so very much.

Oh, how I missed this warmth. I could feel his want, his lust, and his love as our lips brushed together in unison.

I broke away for a gasp of air, looked into his smoldering red orbs, and hushed out, "Natsume…" Content, I buried my face back into his chest. "I missed you."

His arms moved back down to rest at my hips again, pulling me back into a loving embrace to the point where I could feel his heart beating against my cheek. "I missed you, too…"

We stayed like that for a little while, savoring our loving, picturesque for a romantic reunion. But the endearing moment fleeted all at once after the sound of voices came about.

Cautious and wary, Natsume released me from his hold immediately, shoving both hands into his jeans as he tried to appear casual. Clearing my throat, I straightened out the few disheveled chestnut strands of my hair and looked away.

A group of guys decked in swimwear carrying surfboards passed us by. I watched them as they left; mentally hoping that one of them would have a fatal accident by drowning into the deep depths of the ocean after ruining my romantic moment.

So much for reuniting with my boyfriend…

Natsume's exasperated sigh snapped me out of my thoughts. "We still have to keep our relationship on a low profile," he pointed out with a shrug of his shoulders, "especially since there are a lot of cameras floating around this resort." I watched as he pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and slid it in between my fingers. "Meet up with me at three o' clock. The restaurant is written down on the paper."

I glanced down at the paper and then back at him. "But─"

He didn't give me time to react. His swift movement was like that of a ghost as he turned his back to me while placing his tinted shades back over his eyes.

He walked off and called over his shoulder, "We'll talk later. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

And all too soon, he was gone, disappearing into the few crowds of people that were hanging around the outside of the hotel.

I sighed, looking back down at the piece of paper he had given me with my brows furrowed together.

Relationships could be a real drag, sometimes. It required a lot of trust, cooperation, communication, and above all else, love in able for a girl to get her happy ending.

Trust…

I bit my lip in uncertainty, thoughts tracing back to the daunting image of a beautiful brunette with blonde streaks and brown eyes.

Did a happy ending really exist for me and Natsume?

**-(Preview)-**

Was I whipped? Maybe.

His lips thinned into a teasing grin. "**How far have you gotten with Mikan anyway, huh, Natsume?"**

"**...Having _more_ than one woman means twice the fun."**

**.**

Did I really just get the time to update this at last? *Plays 2ne1 KPOP*

Yes! I'm so happy that I had the time to update since school has started back up. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, even though the story is progressing rather slowly, but the upcoming chapters will be worth it, I promise.^^

Special thanks to **.Reading01** and **Kim **for the awesome reviews**. **(I couldn't message you guys). And asdflkjh **Julie**, I want to thank you and **Lana** for your cray-cray comments.^^

Next chapter will strictly be in Natsume's POV. Gracias muy mucho for reading~


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